Roses and Thorns
by Zapto369
Summary: My version of the KC Grand Championship.
1. Chapter 1: The Invite's List

Chapter 1- The Invite's List

It was about mid-afternoon in the office of the CEO of Kaiba Corp. The boss was sitting at his desk, typing at his computer, and altogether thinking of the duel monsters tournament that he was planning on hosting. He wore his favorite white suit with a blue tie that perfectly matched his deep blue eyes and his favorite monster.

He stopped typing for a moment and put his hands together and against his forehead. "Alright, all of the tournament guidelines are planned out, now I just need to determine who I'm going to invite to participate." The man named Seto Kaiba said to himself. "Roland, get me a list of all the winners of all the major tournaments within the last year." Kaiba ordered as he hit a button on the office phone on his desk. "Right away, sir." His employee responded from the other end. Kaiba paused again in silent thought for a moment and then his little brother came bursting through the office door.

"I have the papers, Seto!" The little boy with spiky black hair called as he dashed in. "That was fast." The older Kaiba brother stated. "Yea, Roland already had the list ready, so he sent me to deliver it." Mokuba Kaiba explained. "Well then let's have a look at it. Here, pull up a chair, we'll go through it together." Kaiba offered as he took the list and began looking through it. Mokuba sat down in one of the office chairs and pulled it next to his big brother.

"Well as master of ceremonies for the tournament, do you have any first suggestions?" Kaiba asked for his brother's advice. "Well, you definitely want Yugi because he's the current duel monsters champion, right?" Mokuba asked. "Yes, the way the tournament is going to work is that we will have sixteen contestants battle for the tournament crown. Whoever comes out on top out of the sixteen will not only hold the tournament title, but will have the honor of dueling Yugi for the world championship title." Kaiba explained.

"So all we have to do is find out who the other sixteen contestants are, right?" Mokuba clarified. "That's correct." Kaiba responded. "Well let's start off with the big tournaments. Here's the winner of the United States National Championship: Rebecca Hawkins. I think she's a likely choice." Mokuba offered as he pulled out a paper with her picture on it. "Hmm, she's a bit of a brat, but a skilled duelist nonetheless." Kaiba commented as he thought back to when they met earlier when they were trying to take down Dartz and his organization. "We'll take her." He decided.

"Ok, one down, fifteen more to go. Here are the top two winners of the European Championship: Zigfried Lloyd and Leon Wilson." Mokuba said as he handed Seto two more papers. "Alright, they seem strong enough." Kaiba stated as he added their papers to the invited pile. "And here's the winner from the Asian Championship: Vivian Wong." Mokuba added as he handed his brother another paper. "Ok, now we need eleven more." Seto said as he threw those papers into invited pile too.

"Ok, let's hit the next continent. Here's Abe the Monkey Man from Africa and Shane Jordan from South America." Mokuba stated as he tossed his brother the next two papers. "Great, now nine more." Kaiba said indifferently as he added those two papers to the invites pile.

"Ok from Australia, we have… wait this name seems really familiar! Didn't this guy work for Dartz?" Mokuba asked as he handed a paper to his brother. "Hmm, let's see. Valon, yes the name does seem familiar. But if he's a good duelist then I suppose we can let him in." Kaiba decided as he added his paper to the pile as well. "Alright halfway there, now let's look at all the specialty tournaments that have taken place recently." Mokuba continued as he flipped through some of the papers.

"Hey, Seto take a look at this one; it's the winners from the International Tag-Team Duelists' Tournament, James Alvarez and Kristiann Baluta." Mokuba offered as he handed his brother the two papers. "Hmm, these kids kind of look familiar… But they definitely have some skill, so we'll take them." Kaiba admitted as he added their two papers to the pile.

"Wow, look at this, they had a tournament not too long ago with contestants battling for the spot of Antarctic Champion." Mokuba laughed at the absurdity of the title. "Really? Well that makes no sense, but the winner must be good. Who was it?" Kaiba asked as the joke went over his serious head. "Some guy who calls himself Ice." Mokuba replied as he held up the file. "Let's take him too, then." Seto Kaiba conceded as he added the paper to his file.

"Ok then, only five more seats left. I like this guy, he reminds me of one of my favorite authors." Mokuba said as he handed a file to his brother. "William Miller, hunh? Yes, I suppose we could take him too." Kaiba conceded as he added that file to his stack. "Hmm, there's not too many people left to choose from now. Hey look at this! They hosted a tournament strictly for intellectuals at a library in New York last year. And here are the top two winners: Fortune Salim and Dylan Fay." Mokuba explained as he handed another two files to his brother. "Then let's have them." Kaiba again admitted as he took the files.

"Alright then, there's only one major winner here left then: Jessica Philips, the supermodel. Not only has she won numerous beauty pageants, but she's won plenty of duel monsters tournaments too." Mokuba explained as he gave his brother yet another file of a duelist. "Hmm, she's not that beautiful, but its dueling skill that will win in this tournament." Seto Kaiba remarked smartly as he put her paper into his pile.

"But we still have two seats left." Kaiba stated. "Well yes, but the only other tournaments were Pegasus's Duelist Kingdom and our Battle City. Personally, I think we should invite two people who did well in both tournaments: Mai Valentine and Joey Wheeler." Mokuba stated his opinion. "What?! You want to invite a dweeb like Wheeler to compete in the most prestigious duel monsters championship ever thrown? Get real!" Kaiba retaliated. "I know you don't like them, Seto, but they are good duelists and Yugi might be more willing to come if we invite those two." Mokuba argued. Kaiba thought for a moment and then finally cracked. "Fine, but only because I don't have anyone else in mind." He conceded.

"That's great then, big brother! Now we have all sixteen contestants picked out. Should I send out the invitations?" Mokuba asked. Again Kaiba thought for a moment and then gave his answer. "Actually I would like you and Roland to go see each contestant personally and deliver the invitation. I think that would boost the popularity and interest of our tournament." Kaiba told him. "Ok then, we'll head out tomorrow." Mokuba said as he grabbed the stack of sixteen papers from his brother and headed out the door. After his brother was gone, Seto Kaiba sat back in his chair and sighed. "Now that everything is prepared my company is ready to host the greatest tournament ever thrown. Soon the KC Grand Championship will begin." Kaiba said to himself as he returned to typing away on his computer.


	2. Chapter 2: Invitation and Opposition

Chapter 2- Invitation and Opposition

It was about noon time at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church where James and Kristiann, two teenagers, were working with Mrs. Alvarez, James' mother and the Youth Minister of the Parish, to get things ready for Vacation Bible School scheduled to take place later that year.

The couple and Mrs. Alvarez had just stepped outside of the Parish Center for a few minutes because they were waiting for Mr. Alvarez to arrive with some more supplies they needed in order to continue. "We really to work on this garden at some point too." Mrs. Alvarez stated as she looked over the withering garden in front of the center. Much like her son, Mrs. Alvarez had long brown hair and brown eyes. She was dressed nicely as any good Church employee would.

"Yea, we'll get around to it at some point." James replied as he too looked at the garden, not too keen of the idea of doing yard work in the middle of June. James looked to be about fifteen years of age and had medium-length brown hair and deep brown eyes. He wore blue sneakers on his feet and an interesting gray shirt that had angelic wings coming out of a cross. Although the weather was rather warm, he still wore jean pants and his signature grey jacket, unbuttoned of course, that also had angelic wings around a globe with the small words "For Humanity" on it.

"Yes, once VBS is over we'll have plenty of time." Kristiann encouraged. Kristiann was only about a year older than her boyfriend; however her beauty far surpassed her years. She had long brown hair and blue-grey eyes. She wore a blue T-shirt and short jeans with a sort of flower print pair of shoes. Around her neck was a ruby heart necklace, a Valentine's Day gift from her beloved.

"Huh, I suppose, we've got time, right?" Mrs. Alvarez sighed. James was about to say something, but he was interrupted by the static noise of wind blowing hard. "What's that?" James asked. But he soon got his answer as a helicopter began its descent and landed in the middle of the church's parking lot. "Why is a helicopter landing in our parking lot?" Mrs. Alvarez asked. "Maybe Dad decided to take a helicopter here." James joked. Both his girlfriend and mother glared at him for the bad joke as the helicopter landed and one of the doors opened.

"Hey, you guys are James and Kristiann right?" The little black haired boy said as he jumped out of the copter and ran towards them. "Yes, that's us. What's going on?" Kristiann asked the younger Kaiba brother. "Huh, I'm glad I found you two." Mokuba said as he stopped in front of them to catch his breath. He regained his composure and then proceeded with his mission. "My name is Mokuba, and on behalf of the Kaiba Corporation I would like to invite James Alvarez and Kristiann Baluta to participate in our prestigious KC Grand Championship Tournament!" Mokuba invited as he offered the pair of duelists two envelopes.

"KC Grand Championship, hunh? Sounds impressive!" James exclaimed as he took his envelope. "Alright, sounds like fun!" Kristiann similarly exclaimed as she accepted her envelope. "Great, so you'll come?" Mokuba asked to clarify. "Now wait a second, what's going on?" Mrs. Alvarez interrupted. "Well you see, my big brother Seto Kaiba is hosting an invitational only duel monsters tournament at the site of his new amusement park: Kaiba Land. Because it's invitational only, sixteen of the best duelists from around the world have been selected to compete for the championship crown. The winner will have the chance to duel Yugi Muto for the World Champion Title." Mokuba explained. "Wow, sounds like some tournament!" James exclaimed. "It is; I really hope you two can compete." Mokuba agreed, motioning to Mrs. Alvarez.

"Well, I guess you can go. How much will it cost to fly there and stuff?" Mrs. Alvarez asked. "Because we want to make our contestants feel honored, Kaiba Corp is paying for all airfare, hotel stays, food, etc. You won't have to worry about a thing." Mokuba assured. "All of us? You'll pay for the entire family?" Mrs. Alvarez asked in amazement. "Well actually ma'am, we can only pay for the contestants. If your family wants to come, you'll have to pay for yourselves, sorry." Mokuba admitted. "Oh, I see. Well as long as your father Okays it James then I'll let you go." Mrs. Alvarez sighed.

"That's great!" Mokuba exclaimed. But just then a silver Ford Focus pulled up to the parking spot near where the four were standing. The car stopped and a tall, bald man stepped out. He was wearing a blue collared shirt and jeans. "Hey guys, what's going on?" Mr. Alvarez asked as he stepped out of the car. "Hey Dad, this is Mokuba, from Kaiba Corp. He's here to invite Kristiann and me to participate in their KC Grand Championship tournament." James explained. Mokuba introduced himself to Mr. Alvarez and shook his hand. He then proceeded to explain the terms of the tournament that he already explained to Mrs. Alvarez.

"Hmm, so let me get this straight: you've been selected out of the entire world to compete in an invitational only duel monsters tournament?" Mr. Alvarez asked for clarification. "Yes, that is the case. So can I compete?" James asked. Mr. Alvarez thought for a moment. "Son, you know I support you whenever I can, but I just can't let you go to this one." He replied. Mokuba looked shocked and James looked heartbroken. "What?! What do you mean I can't go?! Only sixteen people in the entire world are going to this!" James exploded. "I'm sorry, but you just can't. Not only can Mom and I not go because of money, but I can't let you roam around some unknown place alone and I really can't let you stay alone in a hotel room with her." Mr. Alvarez explained as he motioned to Kristiann, who looked hurt from the comment.

"Mr. Alvarez, please reconsider. Kaiba Corp needs the best of the best to compete in this tournament. Security is top notch, believe me they'll be totally safe." Mokuba urged. "I'm sorry kid, but James can't go and that's final." Mr. Alvarez replied adamantly. "Dad, that is not an option, I'm going. I'm one of the best duelists around and they need me, Kristiann needs me." James said defiantly. "Eric, please let him go, this means so much to him." Mrs. Alvarez urged her husband. Mr. Alvarez thought for a moment and then gave an answer.

"I'll tell you what, since you think you're so good, I'll make a deal with you: If you can defeat me in a duel, then I'll let you go compete in this little card game tournament." He challenged as he reached into his car and pulled out a duel disk. "What, Dad you duel?" James was amazed. "Of course, I've been dueling since before you were born! So do we have a deal or not?" Mr. Alvarez asked. "Of course we do, and I'll defeat you and prove myself to you." James replied defiantly as he pulled out a duel disk from his jacket and put it on his arm.

The father and son walked to another part of the parking lot and stood distanced from each other. "Alright son, are you ready?" Mr. Alvarez asked in a challenging way. "Of course, Dad, I'm always ready." James replied. They both activated their duel disks and their life points were set to 4000. "Let's duel!"


	3. Chapter 3: Into the Ocean

Chapter 3- Into the Ocean

"Because I'm feeling so confident, I'll let you go first." Mr. Alvarez offered. "Thanks, Dad, you'll regret it." James replied coldly as he drew a card. "And I'll start by summoning my Slate Warrior in attack mode." James began as his monster appeared on the field with 1900 attack points and 400 defense points. "Then I'll set one card facedown and end my turn." James concluded as the unknown card emerged on the field.

"Alright then, I'm up." Mr. Alvarez said as he drew a card. "And I think I'll start off by summoning a monster too: my Giant Red Seasnake in attack mode!" He called as the great sea serpent emerged onto the field with 1800 attack points and 800 defense points.

"Of course, my monster may be weaker than yours now, but once I play this card, the field simply won't be the same again. I activate A Legendary Ocean!" Mr. Alvarez then played in the field magic card slot of his duel disk. Immediately, the parking lot began to flood with holographic water as the whole arena became a virtual ocean. "Not only does my Legendary Ocean flood the field and set the tone for our duel, but it also gives all water monsters an extra 200 attack and defense points." Mr. Alvarez explained as his Seasnake's attack power rose to 2000 and its defense rose to 1000.

"You think that intimidates me? Just finish your turn." James remarked sarcastically. "Fine, then I will. Giant Red Seasnake, attack James's Slate Warrior!" Mr. Alvarez commanded as his serpent let out a jet stream of water that ripped apart James's monster and brought his life points down to 3900. "You may have destroyed my warrior, but he has a special ability: if a monster destroys him as a result of battle, that monster has its attack points reduced by 500." James explained as Mr. Alvarez's serpent dropped to 1500 attack points. "Hmm, you're right. Whatever I'll just lay this card facedown and end my turn." Mr. Alvarez concluded.

"Alright, then now I'll really take you down." James said with venom as he drew a card. "Now wait a minute son, just listen to me for a minute." Mr. Alvarez began. "Yes?" James replied, obviously annoyed. "You seem way to angry and uptight now and that's no way to duel. Just take it easy and believe me this whole thing will be a lot easier." Mr. Alvarez said. "That's easy for you to say, you have nothing to lose. I have everything on the line here." James countered coldly. "That may be so, but being angry and vengeful won't help you at all either. Just remember what you're dueling for and try to be noble about it not hateful. Just think of what Kristiann would do in your situation." He offered.

"He has no right to use me as an example." Kristiann said with disdain from the sidelines. "I know he doesn't, but he does have a point. James needs to calm down." Mrs. Alvarez added.

James thought for a moment and then cracked his angry façade. "Yes, perhaps you're right. Then from here on out I will be noble and a royal knight; much like my monster Neo the Magic Swordsman." James admitted as he summoned his magic warrior with 1700 attack points and 1000 defense points. "Now, Neo, attack his Seasnake!" James commanded as his knight slashed his father's monster, destroying it and reducing his life points to 3800. "That'll end my turn." James concluded.

"Alright, not bad." Mr. Alvarez commented as he drew a card. "I'll lay this card facedown and summon my Catapult Turtle in defense mode and then end my turn." He then played as the gigantic turtle appeared on the field with 1000 attack and 2000 defense, each stat boosted by 200 due to the effect of A Legendary Ocean. "Wait a minute, you can't summon that monster without first sacrificing a monster!" James exclaimed. "Aha, normally that's true, but my Legendary Ocean reduces the star level of all water monsters on my hand a field by one star. That way my Catapult Turtle becomes a four star monster, allowing me to summon it to the field." Mr. Alvarez explained.

"Hmm, not bad, but I can destroy your Turtle." James said with new confidence as he drew a card. "And to do so, I'll sacrifice my Magic Swordsman in order to summon my Cyber-Tech Alligator!" James cried as his knight disappeared and his cyborg dragon appeared with 2500 attack points and 1600 defense points. "My mechanical monster has enough power to destroy your Catapult Turtle. So go, Cyber-Tech Alligator, attack and destroy his monster!" James commanded as his gator flew forward to attack Mr. Alvarez's monsters.

"Not so fast! I activate my trap card: Tornado Wall!" Mr. Alvarez countered as a massive tornado appeared from the sea and blocked James' attack. "This card stays in play as long as my Legendary Ocean does and activates every time you declare an attack. It blocks every attack you call and reduces it to nothing." Mr. Alvarez explained. "So basically, I'm invincible! As long as the sea is on my side there's nothing you can do to beat me!" Mr. Alvarez laughed, not evilly, but overconfidently as James ended his turn.


	4. Chapter 4: Naval Assualt

Chapter 4- Naval Assault

"Well son, it looks like it's my turn again." Mr. Alvarez stated as he drew a card. "And I feel compelled to tell you a little story about my history with duel monsters." He began. "You see, back when I was in the navy, we had a lot of off time, especially on long voyages at sea. So one day a friend of mine brought some duel monsters cards on board with him. We all got hooked right away! Soon all of us were playing and having our own little tournaments. And you know what? I was the best one out of all the sailors on the ship!" Mr. Alvarez reminisced.

"And there was one card in particular that I grew very fond of. Back in the day, it was my most faithful card and it never let me down. So I'll call on my favorite monster now: go Legendary Fisherman!" Mr. Alvarez cried as he summoned his manly fisherman riding on a shark with a huge harpoon and 1850 attack points and 1600 defense points. But that was only boosted to 2050 attack and 1800 defense due to the effect of A Legendary Ocean.

"That's an impressive monster, Dad." James admired respectfully. "It is. But just wait until I unlock its true potential. Because not only can my Fisherman not be targeted by any of your magic cards, it also can't be targeted in battle." Mr. Alvarez explained.

"But just wait until I play this magic card. Just like my Legendary Fisherman is my favorite monster, this is my favorite magic card. It fully unlocks the power of my water monsters in a way that only a true sailor can. I activate Naval Assault!" Mr. Alvarez cried as he played the militaristic magic card. "Not only does this card give all of my water monsters an extra 500 attack points, but it also allows me to choose one of them to lead my other sea creatures into battle and be able to attack your life points directly, even if you do have a monster on the field." Mr. Alvarez explained as his Fisherman's attack points rose to 2550 and his Turtle's attack points rose to 1700. "And I choose to allow my Legendary Fisherman to attack your life points directly!" Mr. Alvarez selected as his Fisherman dove under the water and reemerged in front of James and nailed him with its harpoon, reducing his life points down to 1350.

"Ah, not bad, maybe you were the best back in the day. But now it's my turn to prove myself and duel like a true champion." James said unflinchingly as he retaliated from the attack. "Well it's going to have to wait until later because since I just did damage to your life points with a water monster, I can activate this: my Second Harpoon magic card. This allows me to summon an extra water monster from my hand. And I choose to summon my Abyss Soldier in attack mode." Mr. Alvarez called as his shark-warrior appeared with a total of 2500 attack and 1500 defense after it was boosted by Mr. Alvarez's magic cards.

"But since my new monster can't attack, I'll end my turn." Mr. Alvarez concluded. "Alright then it's my turn to tell you a story." James began as he drew a card. "Dad, this tournament means the world to me and I have to go. Not only are Kaiba and Mokuba counting on me to be there, but Kristiann is too. I can't just let her go alone. I need to be there for her just as much as I need to be there for the world." James pleaded. "I understand son. Just make your move." Mr. Alvarez replied with understanding, but harsh love. "I will Dad, and after this move, I will go to the tournament and Kristiann and I will win it together." James replied.

"And to do so, I'll summon Breaker, the Magical Warrior in attack mode!" James said as he summoned the dark, magic knight with 1600 attack and 1000 defense. "And my knight has a special ability: when it's summoned I can put one spell counter on it that I can remove at any time to destroy one magic or trap card on the field." James explained and Mr. Alvarez looked in shock at the realization at what was to come. "And I choose to activate that power now to destroy your Legendary Ocean card!" James called dramatically as his knight let loose a wave of energy that cut his Legendary Ocean card in half. At once, the sea totally dried up. But more than that, without the Legendary Ocean in play, Tornado Wall, Naval Assault and all of Mr. Alvarez's monsters were destroyed as well.

"That's very smart, James. Without my Legendary Ocean card, my Naval Assault card goes too. And when it's destroyed, all of the monsters affected by it are destroyed too. Go ahead and make your final move, son." Mr. Alvarez admitted. "I will, go Cyber Tech Alligator, attack his life points directly!" James commanded as his gator slashed his father and reduced his life points to 1300. "And finally, Breaker the Magical Warrior, attack Dad's life points directly and end this duel!" James commanded as his knight slashed Mr. Alvarez and brought his life points down to 0.

"Well done, James, you've won. But I must admit I haven't had a dueling thrill like that in a long time." Mr. Alvarez conceded as James' holograms disappeared. "Congratulations, you've passed my test." Mr. Alvarez said as he walked towards his son, much to the shock of all present. "What?!" James asked incredulously. "Well I always intended to let you go, but I needed to see if you were really determined and ready first. Sorry to put you through all that, but it was necessary. So we good?" Mr. Alvarez laughed as he stretched his hand out. "Dad, I don't know what to say. But thanks, yea we're good." James smiled back and he shook his father's hand, but then simply gave him a brotherly hug. "Alright go ahead son, the KC Grand Championship awaits." Mr. Alvarez said as he released his son.

James and his father walked over to the others and Mokuba ran to start the helicopter. Kristiann and James said their goodbyes to James' parents as they got into the helicopter and prepared to take off. "Wait son, one more thing!" Mr. Alvarez called as he ran over to the copter. "I want you to have this card; I think it'll really help you in the tournament." Mr. Alvarez said as he handed his son The Legendary Fisherman card. "Thanks Dad, I won't let you down." James said warmly as his Dad nodded back. Then Mr. Alvarez ran from the helicopter as its engines started and they took off.

"Is everybody ready?" Mokuba asked his two new guests. "Yes, we are now." James said as he looked at Kristiann. "Next stop, Kaiba Land and the KC Grand Championship!"


	5. Chapter 5: Arriving in Style

Chapter 5- Arriving in Style

After the helicopter went to both James' and Kristiann's houses and picked up their suitcases, they began their flight to Kaiba Land. After only a few hours, the helicopter flew over the new amusement park. "Well here we are: Kaiba Land!" Mokuba pointed out as James and Kristiann looked down at the park below them. There were all sorts of rides and attractions in the park; almost every kind of theme park attractions was visible from the airspace over Kaiba Land. But two landmarks stood out over all the others.

The first was a large, ornate castle with towers and flags and a rectanglar arena on a balcony on it. "That's the Kaiba Corporation's Dueling Castle. It's the stage of the final duel of the tournament featuring whoever wins the tournament versus World Champion Yugi Muto." Mokuba explained after Kristiann inquired about it.

The second major landmark was a gigantic domed arena designed like a Blue Eyes White Dragon monster. "That's Kaiba Corporation's pride and joy: The Kaiba Dome! That's where the tournament will kick off tomorrow and where the top two will face off before the championship match." Mokuba explained with enthusiasm after James asked about it.

"This is a really impressive park!" James exclaimed as he took in all the sights below them. "Thanks. My big bro worked really hard trying to get everything in order for its grand opening tomorrow." Mokuba said as the helicopter flew over the park to a tower-like building not too far away. Over the top of the skyscraper were the words "Hotel Kaiba." "That's where the opening party will be held tonight. It's also where you two are staying for the duration of the tournament." Mokuba explained as he pointed to the hotel.

Just then, Mokuba's phone rang. "Oh could you hold on for a minute?" Mokuba asked his guests as he pulled out his cell phone. "Hello? Hey big bro, what's up? Oh yes we ran into some difficulties with the last two contestants, but they're here with me now. Yes, all of the contestants have received their invites. Oh one thing though, we were unable to track down Mai Valentine, but don't worry I found a replacement. What? Yea, don't worry he's a great duelist. OK, see ya later, bro!" Mokuba talked and then hung up the phone.

"Sorry about that, that was my brother. Anyways, are you two ready to land now?" Mokuba asked. James and Kristiann nodded their approval and the helicopter began its descent into the large parking lot in front of Kaiba Land. After the copter landed, a limousine pulled up and James and Kristiann got inside. "I'm sorry, but I've got some important stuff to do before tonight. But this limo will take you two to the Hotel Kaiba. Have fun and see ya later!" Mokuba called as the helicopter flew off.

Sitting in the back of the limo with James and Kristiann was a different young man. He had short black hair and brown eyes which were covered by glasses. He was dressed somewhat nicely, but casual in brown and tan colors. "Hey are you two in the KC Grand Championship too?" The young man asked. James and Kristiann replied yes and introduced themselves. "Good to meet you. My name is William Miller, the grandson of the famous author Arthur Miller." The young man introduced himself proudly. "No way, really?! That's awesome! I love Arthur Miller!" James exclaimed enthusiastically as he shook the young man's hand.

"Ah, James, you and Arthur Miller…" Kristiann sighed as James started asking repetitive questions about the young man's grandfather. "Well to be honest, I didn't really know my grandfather all that well. You see, he was always so busy that I never got to see him all that much." William answered. "Oh ok, well at least he left you his name." James gave up with a huge grin to his reference. "Ah, James, you and the Crucible…" Kristiann sighed again at James' reference to his favorite play. "The Crucible? Yea, my grandfather wrote a play called that. But I don' think he really liked it all that much though…" William admitted. James dropped his head in disappointment as Kristiann laughed at the irony.

"Well I have some errands to run before tonight, but good luck to you two in the tournament later." William said as the limo came to a halt in front of the Hotel Kaiba building. "You too, William." James replied as they stepped out of the limo without the young man. The door closed and the limo drove off with William still inside. "Alright, let's go check in." Kristiann said as the two walked up to the front door of the hotel.

"May I help you with your bags, sir and madam?" A bell boy asked as he took their two suitcases. "Thanks." The two answered. "It's all part of the service. I'll take them up to your rooms while you go check in and get your room key." The manservant explained as he walked off towards an elevator.

The hotel itself was very fancy and ornate, much like any modern, high-class hotel. James and Kristiann walked up to the front desk where they waited in line behind a young man with blue, spiky hair and long blue trench coat. He turned to leave the front desk with his key, but ran right into Kristiann and James. "Hey, watch where you're going! There's no need to be so cold!" The strange young man snapped at them. "Sorry." James said as noticed that the man had a duel disk on his arm. "Hey are you two in the KC Grand Championship also?" He asked as he noticed that they both had duel disks on too. "Yes we are, I'm Kristiann and this is James." Kristiann introduced as the man looked both of them over.

"Hmm, you two don't look so tough. I'll look forward to putting you on ice in the first round." The man said confidently as he strode off towards the elevator. "Well someone's kinda rude today!" Kristiann complained loudly about the man, but he had already stepped into the elevator so he didn't hear them.

"Jeez, I wonder what that bloke's problem was." Another young man interrupted as he walked up to James and Kristiann from the front doors. He had a full head of brown hair that almost stood up on end and dark blue eyes. He wore a red shirt and black pants and had protective shoulder and elbow pads that made him look like he had been riding a motorcycle. He also had a pair of goggles in his high hair that added to the motorcycle rider effect and a duel disk on his arm. "The name's Valon. I'm assuming you two chumps are in the KC Grand Championship too." The young man said with an Australian accent. "Well then the best of luck to ya later, mates." Valon said encouragingly after the couple affirmed his assumptions. He then waved goodbye and started heading to a nearby bathroom.

"Well I guess now we can finally check in." Kristiann said somewhat impatiently. James agreed and the couple walked up to the front desk. "Ah, welcome sir and madam to the Hotel Kaiba." The well dressed receptionist said warmly. "You two must be James and Kristiann. Kaiba Corp is trying to converse most rooms for spectators in the tournament so you two will be sharing a room. I hope that's not a problem." The receptionist explained as he looked over some kind of list on his desk. James and Kristiann looked at each other and smiled. "Nope, no problem at all." James replied almost too happily. "Good then, your room number is 523. Just take the elevator to the fifth floor and make a right; it'll be at the end of the hallway." The receptionist man instructed as he handed them each a room key.

"Have a nice stay at the Hotel Kaiba. Such a lovely place…" The receptionist man called to them and then started singing to himself as the couple walked away and started heading towards the elevator.


	6. Chapter 6: The Night Before

Chapter 6- The Night Before

Later that night, James and Kristiann headed down to the ballroom of the hotel for the reception for tournament guests and competitors before the actual tournament began. James was wearing his best black suit with a light blue shirt and dark blue tie. The rest of his wardrobe was also black to match the suit. Kristiann was wearing a sparkling blue dress with heels and looked even more beautiful than normally, if James thought that was ever possible.

As they entered the grand hall, they noticed that it was packed with all kinds of people, most dressed nicely. "Whoa, there are a lot of people here!" James exclaimed. "Of course, that's because Kaiba Corp invited newspapers and television news channels from everywhere to cover the tournament." Mokuba said as he ran up to greet his two new guests. "Please, go ahead and mingle with everyone, I'm sure someone will hit you up for an interview." Mokuba smiled as he ran off to greet a new guest coming in.

"Wow, James this is pretty neat… no way!" Kristiann was saying but then trailed off as she pointed towards a young man in another area of the room. "No, it can't be!" James said both annoyed and surprised. "Fay!" Kristiann cried as she ran off to the young man. He was dressed semi-nicely, though not as formal and professional as James. He wore a red collared shirt with a tan tie and black dress pants and shoes. He was talking with another boy, slightly younger who scruffy dark purple hair and a designer blue shirt and tan sweater vest.

The young man with brown, curly hair cringed as Kristiann hugged him. James and the purple haired boy looked at the scene with a mix of annoyance and confusion. "Um, who are you?" The young man asked. "You don't remember me and James? Our school played yours in a Quiz Bowl tournament a few times." Kristiann explained as she let go of the now distraught young man. "Oh, that's nice. Yes I think I remember you two now. We beat your team of course. You two were on Mr. Denote's team, which is really the only thing memorable about your team. Other than mister Soviet Union here, of course." Fay laughed as James grew more annoyed.

"Jeez, this guy is so humble!" James whispered to the purple haired boy sarcastically. "I know what you mean. I went to introduce myself to him just to be polite and he started going on about some great Quiz Bowl thing." The boy replied calmly, but it was obvious that he didn't like Fay either. "By the way, my name's Leon." The boy said as he shook James' hand. James introduced himself and Kristiann, who was talking to Fay about something.

After hearing Fay's voice for so long, James started getting even more annoyed. "Ok, well sorry Fay, but we gotta go. So smell ya later!" James said to his rival as he took Kristiann's arm and led her off. "Fine, whatever, maybe I'll see you later in the tournament. Unless you lose in the first round of course!" Fay laughed as the couple walked quickly away from him. "Bye, Fay!" Kristiann called to him and James grumbled to himself.

Because he was grumbling so much, he didn't see the young man in front of them and ran right into his back. It was the same man, dressed in the same blue outfit, that James and Kristiann met at the front desk earlier. "Hey, you two need to chill out!" The young man growled as he turned around to face them. The Hispanic cowboy-looking guy he was talking to realized the blue man's anger problem and quietly sneaked off. "Sorry, sir, I didn't see you there." James said trying to be polite. "Well sorry doesn't cut it; this is the second time you've run into me today!" The blue man yelled. "Oh hey you're that rude guy we met in the lobby!" Kristiann pointed out. "Yea, I'm the rude one and you two are the one's who keep running into people. Man, that's cold!" The blue man answered sarcastically. Kristiann looked at him angrily and he looked back equally so, but then a loud voice came over the loudspeaker.

"Attention all contestants of the KC Grand Championship, please report to the stage immediately for introductions to the public!" The voice called. "I suppose our little quarrel will have to wait until I can put the freeze on you in the tournament." The blue man said as he strode off. "Whatever, loser!" Kristiann yelled to him, but James calmed her down. "Alright, now let's head up to the stage before Kaiba gets annoyed." James offered as the two went over.

All of the lights went out except for a spotlight on the far left side of the stage where Roland, Kaiba's right hand employee, stood with a microphone. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the start of the KC Grand Championship! Tonight we will introduce all of our contestants for the world to see! First up, it's the young prodigy who has yet to be defeated, Leon Wilson!" Roland yelled dramatically as camera's flashed and people cheered. "Next it's Chinese superstar Vivian Wong and our youngest Regional Champion, Rebecca Hawkins!" Roland again yelled as the two young ladies glared as each other. "Next, from two lands down under, it's Shane Jordan from South America and Valon from Australia!" Two men, the cowboy and the biker guy from the lobby stepped out. "Next's it's our tag team champions, the dynamic duo and inseparable partners, James and Kristiann!" Roland announced as the couple walked out on stage, hand in hand.

"Now perhaps our most intellectual duelists, it's Fortune Salim and Dylan Fay!" James shot a dirty look to the young man who really annoyed him and stood next to him on stage. "Hmm, have you been counting the contestants, James? Did you get fourteen so far?" Fay chuckled to himself at the inside joke as James just ignored him. "Now it's our special celebrity guest and grandson of the famous Arthur Miller, William Miller!" The young man walked out on stage and smiled as James and Kristiann, who both smiled back. "He may be cold at times, but a solid contender nonetheless, it's Ice!" The blue man walked on stage and shot a look to James and Kristiann. "Now's its time for our very own wild child, Abe the Monkey Man and underdog Joey Wheeler!" A man with a cute monkey on his shoulders and a blonde with puffy hair walked out.

"And of course our ever stylish competitors, Jessica Philips and Zigfried Lloyd!" A tall man with a pink suit and long pink hair walked out holding a rose and a beautiful young woman in a sparkly yellow dress, similar to Kristiann's walked out. James looked a minute at the woman, but Kristiann quickly swatted him in the back of the head. "And our own mystery duelist, Apnarg Otom!" Roland announced as a short, stocky, masked duelist walked out. "And that, ladies and gentleman are our sixteen competitors. Now let's welcome the World Champion, Yugi Moto!" Roland announced as the spiky-haired young man walked out as the media crowd went wild. "May all of you have a safe night and we'll pick this up in the morning with the beginning of the first ever KC Grand Championship!"


	7. Chapter 7: The Dinner Reception

Chapter 7- The Dinner Reception

"Now let's give it up for the man behind the tournament and the reason for our gathering here tonight: Mr. Seto Kaiba!" Roland announced as the president of Kaiba Corp stepped out in his white suit and blue tie. "Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you all for coming here tonight." Kaiba began. "But I am going to have to ask you all to leave now. We are about to have a special dinner exclusively for competitors. So please, get out." Kaiba commanded as the media people began to filter out of the room. As they were leaving, some of the hotel's employees were running around setting up tables of four in the center of the room.

"Duelists from around the world, you have been selected as the best of the best and now you compete for the World Championship crown." Kaiba continued as he addressed the contenders. "Tonight will be the last night any of you will be on friendly terms with each other. Because tomorrow, you will all be enemies, pitted in a bitter struggle for greatness. If you feel the need to leave and go prepare for the morning, then I'm not going to stop you. But I strongly advise that you stay for the dinner because we spared no expense in gathering the best food for tonight." Kaiba challenged, but no body moved. "Seeing as everyone is staying, please have a seat anywhere you like. Our servers will be out momentarily with your meals." Kaiba finished as he stepped off the stage.

Everyone else followed suit and took seats at the tables scattered around the room. James and Kristiann sat at one table alone, especially far away from Fay at James' request. "Well this should be nice." Kristiann said optimistically to James' agreement. "Vould you mind if I sat here for ze night?" A tall pink haired man with aqua eyes asked in a German accent. He was dressed fashionably in a lavender suit with a white shirt underneath that was hardly visible because of the man's frilly tie. "Sure, I don't mind." James replied as the long pink haired man sat down across from James. "Since you're in the tournament too, then tomorrow we'll be rivals. But for tonight, we can still be friends. I'm James by the way." James introduced himself as he the man shook his hand. "And I'm Kristiann." She introduced herself as the man kissed her hand in politeness. "My name is Zigfried. It's so nice to see that other people are such fashionably dressed as vell." The man introduced himself as he commented on James' suit and Kristiann's dress.

"Und here comes another one of our formally dressed competitors." Zigfried said as a kind of short woman walked towards the table. She was wearing a sparkling yellow dress that was actually very similar to Kristiann's. He had long brown hair and brown eyes and actually almost looked like Kristiann, only older and not nearly as beautiful. "People are such a pain these days. Do you kids mind if I sit here?" The woman asked as she sat down anyways without waiting for an answer. Zigfried and Kristiann looked at her rudely, but James didn't mind at all. "Sure, no problem. I'm James by the way." James greeted as he shook the woman's hand. "Und I'm Zigfried." He introduced as he kissed the woman's hand in greeting. "I'm Kristiann." She also introduced, but didn't shake hands. There was something she just didn't like about this woman.

"That's nice. My name is Jessica Philips. You may have heard of me from all the latest fashion magazines. I am of course the most beautiful out of all of us here. I think you can take some good advice from me, hun." Jessica said to Kristiann. She looked insulted and Zigfried frowned. "Now that's not true, I'd say Kristiann is the most beautiful one here." James countered nobly. "Hmph, whatever you say kid. But I bet I can make you change your tune. You're not a bad looker yourself." Jessica said ominously as she looked at James. James didn't quite know how to respond, but Kristiann jumped all over her. "Yes, I know he's a good looker. And you know what, Jess? He's all mine!" Kristiann countered as she hugged her lover.

"Ah, the sveet stories of love." Zigfried sighed as he pulled out a rose and held it. "Oh yea? Well I'm sure he'll change his mind after I beat your little butt in the tournament tomorrow!" Jessica countered as Kristiann gasped. "Now that's not fair, I could never change my mind about Kristiann." James replied with just the right words. "Besides what makes you think you can ever beat me in a duel, Jess?" Kristiann countered angrily. "Are you kidding kid, I can duel circles around you!" Jess replied overconfidently. "Well we'll just have to wait and see then, now won't we?" Kristiann replied with fire in her eyes. "Yes we will!" Jessica replied with an equal amount of fire and dislike. James sat there awkwardly and Zigfried simply smiled.

"Oh look the food's coming." James stated to break the mood. "I don't care, I can't sit here with this obnoxious woman." Kristiann stated. "Well that's good because I can't stand you either. Maybe you should leave then?" Jessica countered. "Maybe I will!" Kristiann shouted back. She grabbed James by the arm and led him away from that table. The hotel employee looked at them in confusion with the four plates of food, but continued to the table anyways. Kristiann and James resumed a spot at a table where Valon was sitting alone. "Valon, we're sitting here." Kristiann said frustrated as she and James sat down. "Alright…" Valon answered in a confused manner. "Honey, you need to calm down." James said consolingly as he stroked her arm. "I know, just that Philips woman is pissing me off." Kristiann replied.

"Well then beat her bum tomorrow in the tournament, what can I say? I heard the whole argument from over here. God, you chums are loud." Valon said to them. "But I do like you trying to be noble and all James, but you just need to get better at it." Valon advised as the food arrived. "Thanks, Valon, I do my best." James replied. "I'm not trying to put you down mate, I'm just saying being noble is a wonderful thing, it just takes practice." Valon affirmed. "Now let's dig in, mates. Cheers!" Valon exclaimed as they three at their meal in peaceful conversation.

By the time dinner and dessert was over, Kristiann had calmed down as was ready to leave. "Well, mates, it's been a good night, but I need me beauty sleep. Good night, mates and good luck tomorrow." Valon said as he walked away. James and Kristiann returned the words and also got up to leave. "We should be going too, we need our sleep for tomorrow." James advised. Kristiann agreed and the two left the ballroom and headed up to their rooms.

The couple got back to their room and each showered and got changed respectively. When they were both ready for bed, Kristiann laid down in one of the room's beds. "Come on, baby, we've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow." Kristiann said lovingly as she crawled into bed and lifted the blanket to let James in. "You're right, tomorrow's the big day: The KC Grand Championship." James replied as he also crawled into bed. "Good night, baby, I love you." James said lovingly as he put his arm around her. "Good night, I love you too." Kristiann replied as she kissed him good night and turned around. The couple cuddled and slept until the sun rose in the morning.


	8. Chapter 8: The Tournament Begins

Chapter 8- The Tournament Begins

"Ladies and Gentlemen welcome to the Kaiba Dome and the KC Grand Championship!" Roland yelled from the center of the arena that was the Kaiba Dome. All around him were thousands of people who cheered loudly for the start of the tournament. Standing at the duel arena in the center of the stadium were the sixteen contestants who would soon be competing: James Alvarez, Kristiann Baluta, Joey Wheeler, Rebecca Hawkins, Leon Wilson, Zigfried Lloyd, Shane Jordan, Jessica Philips, Ice, Dylan Fay, Abe the Monkey Man, Apnarg Otom, William Miller, Valon, Fortune Salim, and Vivian Wong. They all looked determined and ready for the day.

"Now allow me to introduce our master of ceremonies: Mokuba Kaiba!" Roland announced as Mokuba appeared on the arena with a cloud of smoke. "Are you all ready to get your duel on?" Mokuba exclaimed into a microphone only to be answered by a roar of applause from the crowd. "Now that's what I want to hear! The rules of this tournament are simple: there will be four rounds of single elimination in bracket structure. The duels will take place in various places around Kaiba Land, so only the final round will take place here in the Kaiba Dome. Whoever wins the final round will be crowned the KC Grand Champion and get the honor to duel Yugi Moto for the World Title." Mokuba explained as he nodded to Yugi who also stood on stage.

"Then without further ado, let's take a look at the Kaiba-Tron for the first round matchups!" Mokuba announced as the jumbo-tron above the stadium randomly selected who would be facing whom in the first round. "And the results are in! In the A block, it's Joey Wheeler versus Apnarg Otom, Zigfried Lloyd versus Fortune Salim, James Alvarez versus Valon, and Dlyan Fay versus Abe the Monkey Man!" Mokuba announced. "And in the B block, it's Vivian Wong versus Rebecca Hawkins, Leon Wilson versus Shane Jordan, Kristiann Baluta versus Jessica Philips, and William Miller versus Ice!" Mokuba continued as the jumbo-tron showed the tournament bracket and all the contenders on it.

"Alright, the gauntlet is thrown, the matches are set, and…" Mokuba trailed off as a helicopter flew over the Kaiba Dome. From the helicopter, Seto Kaiba jumped out with a jet pack and floated down to the arena stage. He motioned to Mokuba for the microphone and received it. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you can here today for a friendly duel, then I suggest you go home." Seto Kaiba began. "This is not a show; it's the ultimate test of survival. This is a ruthless battle, and, in the end, only one duelist will remain standing. From this moment forward, Kaiba Land is a battlefield! May the best duelist win!" Kaiba finished dramatically as Roland resumed his announcing duties.

"All duels will take place somewhere on Kaiba Land grounds. Will all contestants please report to their designated dueling arenas." Roland said as Mokuba passed out maps telling each duelist where to go. All of the contestants walked off the stage arena and headed off in their respective directions. "Hey honey, good luck out there." James said to his girlfriend before they had to separate to go to their respective duels. "Thanks, you too." Kristiann replied. They kissed and then headed off in different directions so that the tournament could begin in earnest.


	9. Chapter 9: Code of Honor

Chapter 9- Code of Honor

"The duel between James Alvarez and Valon will take place in Kaiba Land's Future World, a high tech amusement adventure based on the wonders of tomorrow." Roland announced in the Kaiba Dome as James and Valon stepped into their dueling area. The scene around them was one of the future. All of the shops and restaurants around them had a futuristic appeal and there was even a planetary spinner ride in the not so far distance. The duel would take place in the main street of Future World, surrounded by shops and such on two sides.

James and Valon walked towards each other right before the duel. "Alright mate, are you ready for this?" Valon asked his rival as they shuffled each other's decks. "Of course, I'm ready." James replied as he handed Valon his deck back and vice versa. They walked away from each other and activated their duel disks. Right away both their life points were set to 4000 and they each drew five cards. "Then let's duel!" They both said in unison and the duel began.

"I think I'll kick things off by summoning my buddy Psychic Armor Head." Valon stated as his robot head emerged on the field with 0 attack and defense points. "But why would you summon a monster with zero attack and defense points?" James asked confused. "Well you'll just have to wait and see, now won't you mate?" Valon replied. "But for now I'll lay this card facedown on the field and end my turn." Valon concluded.

"Alright, then I'm up." James stated as he drew a card. "And I'll summon my Marauding Captain to the field in attack mode." James said as his warrior emerged on the field with 1200 attack points and 400 defense points. "But my Captain has a special ability: when I summon it to the field, I can also choose another 4 star or fewer monster from my hand and also summon it. And I choose to summon my Command Knight in attack mode." James explained as his red knight appeared on the field with 1200 attack and 1900 defense. "But my Command Knight has a special ability: as long as it remains on my side of the field, all of my warrior monsters gain an extra 400 attack points." James explained as both of his warriors grew to 1600 attack.

"Now, O' Captain my Marauding Captain, attack Valon's Psychic Armor Head!" James cried as his warrior ran forward, both swords held high. "Not so fast mate! I activate my facedown magic card: Code of Honor." Valon countered as his revealed his facedown card. "As long as this card remains on the field, no monster can attack on the first turn it is summoned unless it is special summoned." Valon explained as James' attack was negated. "Well if that's the case, then my Command Knight can still attack. So go Command Knight and destroy that armor head!" James tried again. This time, his knight slashed right through Valon's monster and reduced his life points to 2400.

"I'll end my turn." James concluded as Valon drew a card. "Now James, mate, I want to ask you a question. See last night, I did me a little research on the duelin' styles of all the people in this tournament just to be safe no matter who I faced today. And I found that you duel with a kind of rare honor and chivalry and a drive that doesn't come around to often. Now I think I know the answer, but what is it that you fight for? Why did you enter this tournament? What is the one thing that keeps you going?" Valon asked. "What do I fight for? Well that's an easy question. I fight for the honor of my lady, as any good knight would. It's Kristiann that keeps me going and the reason I duel." James explained with a noble smile. "That's what I thought. I know exactly what you mean, mate. Ya see, I entered this tournament to find my lady as well. Mai Valentine… she left without a trace after we had a little run in with evil. I heard she was going to be here, so of course I came running. You and I are a lot alike, mate. But there's one key difference: I'm a much better duelist. And here's where I prove it; to Mai and to the world." Valon explained.

"Because my Psychic Armor Head has a special ability: whenever it's in the graveyard, it automatically returns to the field." Valon said as his monster reappeared. "But there's more where that came from. Because now I activate my most devastating card: Armored Gravitation!" Valon exclaimed as he slipped the magic card into his duel disk. "This card lets me call forth as many armor monsters as I can from my hand and special summon them to the field. But more than that, it lets me wear them as my very own suit of armor!" Valon explained as two pieces of arm armor, leg armor, and chest plate armor appeared on the field and began spinning around the area. "Now come to me: Buster Knuckle, Jet Gauntlet, Over Boost, and Active Guard!" Valon exclaimed as all of his armor gravitated around him and attached to him. "Now I'm invincible!" He laughed as he punched the air with his new, futuristic, suit of armor.


	10. Chapter 10: Out There Somewhere

Chapter 10- Out There Somewhere

"This new suit of armor gives me powers you can't ever hope to defeat!" Valon exclaimed confidently. "You see while individually each piece of my armor may have zero attack points, each one has a special ability. And here's the first. Go Jet Gauntlet!" Valon exclaimed as he propelled himself forward with his armor and punched through James' Marauding Captain, destroying it. "My Jet Gauntlet lets me destroy any monster on your side of the field automatically." Valon explained as he returned to his side of the field. "Too bad then it's destroyed too." Valon added as one of his arm pieces disappeared.

"But that's not the end of my armor's ability. My Buster Knuckle gains 200 attack points for every armor card on my side of the field for a grand total of 800. In addition, my Over Boost lets any of my armor monsters attack your life points directly. So go, Buster Knuckle!" Valon exclaimed again as he boosted forward and punched James in the face. James grunted from the blow and his life points dropped to 3200. "Not bad, Valon. Your armor is pretty strong." James commended. "Thanks mate. Now that I end my turn my Over Boost is destroyed, but my other three armor card still remain on the field. Your move!" Valon concluded.

"Alright, here goes!" James began as he drew a card. "And I summon my Gearfried the Iron Knight in attack mode." James called out as his metal warrior emerged on the field with 1800 attack points (that were soon boosted to 2200 because of Command Knight's effect) and 1600 defense points. "That's a good monster, but remember it can't attack until next turn because of my Code of Honor magic card." Valon stated. "That may be, but my Command Knight can still attack. So go Command Knight destroy Valon's Psychic Armor Head!" James cried as his knight went in to take a swipe at Valon.

"Obviously you don't know the special ability my armor cards get when there's more than one on the field." Valon smirked. "As long as I have another one on the field, I can redirect your attack on my armor monster to any other one of my armor monsters. And I choose to redirect your attack to my Active Guard!" Valon countered as he puffed out his chest to receive the blow. Command Knight's sword struck its new target, but it was thrown back from the force of the impact and James' life points dropped down to 800. "What happened? Why did I just loose all those life points?" James asked shocked. "You see my Active Guard also has a special ability. Not only does it start off with 2500 defense points, but it gains an extra 500 for every armor card on my side of the field, giving it a grand total of 4000 defense points." Valon explained as his Active Guard disappeared. "Unfortunately then it's destroyed." Valon added.

"Fine then I lay one card facedown and then end my turn." James concluded. "James mate, you need to step it up a notch if you want to win this duel. Just remember what you're fighting for mate." Valon offered. "I know, Valon, I'm doing my best out here. I always do my best for Kristiann. And this duel is no different." James replied confidently. "I know exactly what you mean mate. I'm still here fighting for Mai. Cause even if she's not right here in this park with me, I know she's out there somewhere watching me. And this is all for her." Valon replied longingly.

Meanwhile…

In another part of the world, a wall blonde woman was walking through the airport waiting for her plane to arrive. She had been traveling the world lately, unsure of what to do with her life now that she had practically ruined it. Why had she joined an evil cult and made her best friends suffer because of her own darkness? And what could she do to make up for her mistakes? She didn't quite know, but those were the answers she was searching for. "We now return to our coverage of the KC Grand Championship on the Dueling Network." A TV announcer said from a television in a nearby waiting area.

Ah dueling; that had been her favorite thing to do back in the day. But after it had caused so much misery and suffering to the only people who ever cared about her, she was unsure if she would ever duel again. No, it wasn't dueling; it was only that evil card. But now that it was gone, she would return someday when her heart was back into it.

"Oh my God, is that Valon?!" A voice asked shocked from the waiting area. Immediately the woman stopped walking and froze in place. She knew that voice. But more than that, she knew the name that was just mentioned. She quickly turned and burst into the waiting area where a young man was sitting. He had crimson red hair and wore a gray shirt with black pants. He also wore a black trench coat with various gray straps on it. His eyes were the same gray color as his shirt. When he saw the woman his eyes looked at her in amazement and slight annoyance.

"Mai?" He asked in disbelief. "Alister?" She returned the amazement. "What are you doing here?" Alister asked the woman named Mai. "I could ask you the same thing. But the truth of the matter is I really don't care. What's going on on the TV?" She asked demandingly. "It's the KC Grand Championship of course. Kaiba threw this big tournament after Dartz ruined his company's reputation. If it makes you feel any better that's Valon right there dueling." Alister explained as he pointed to the screen. "Valon…" Mai's voice trailed off. "I'm still here fighting for Mai. Cause even if she's not right here in this park with me, I know she's out there somewhere watching me. And this is all for her." Valon said from the TV. "Valon…" She said again as tears welled up in her eyes. Alister looked at her with a mix of confusion and annoyance as she quickly turned and ran out of the area with tears falling plentifully from her face. "That girl needs to get a grip on herself." Alister said to himself as the coverage of James and Valon's duel switched to a commercial break.


	11. Chapter 11: Electrifying Finish

Chapter 11- Electrifying Finish

"But that's enough chat. Talk is cheap unless you can back it up with something legit. And that's exactly what I plan to do. I lay one card facedown and end my turn." Valon said as he did so. "Alright my turn then." James began as he drew a card. "And I'll activate Polymerization! This card allows me to fuse the Reflect Bounder in my hand with Gearfried the Iron Knight on the field to create a new monster." James explained as he activated the magic card and a swirling vortex appeared around Gearfried. It enveloped the knight and a new monster soon emerged from it. "Go Power-Breaking Mirror Knight!" James cried as a large warrior composed entirely of a shiny metallic armor emerged onto the field with 2600 attack points and 2700 defense points.

"And because my Mirror Knight was special summoned by fusion, it can attack this turn. So go, Power-Breaking Mirror Knight, attack Valon's Psychic Armor Head!" James commanded as his large warrior raised its shining sword to attack Valon. "Not so fast, mate! I activate my trap card: Extinction Fist!" Valon exclaimed as his trap card activated as his hand started glowing. "This allows me to destroy any monster that was tribute summoned, ritual summoned, or fusion summoned and automatically destroy it." Valon explained as he clenched his glowing hand into a fist and jumped up to intercept James' Mirror Knight. He punched it square in the chest and sent it flying back in a blaze. When it landed back on James' side of the field, it had split back into Gearfried and Reflect Bounder. "Of course my trap also splits your monsters back into two, but that's no big deal because you can't attack anymore this turn anyways." Valon added with a grin and he returned to his dueling side.

"I guess I end my turn then." James conceded as Valon drew a card. "Alright then I'm up again. And this little magic card will spell the end for you. I activate Mass Production of Armor!" Valon called out as he activated the factory looking magic card. "All I have to do is sacrifice one magic or trap card on my side of the field and then I can summon as many armor monsters from my deck as I want." Valon explained. "So I'll destroy my Code of Honor card and special summon another Active Guard, another Over Boost, and Big Bang Blow from my deck." Valon added as his new armor pieces emerged on the field and automatically connected to him. "And this suit of armor is even more powerful than the last." Valon added confidently.

"However I can't attack or use any of my armor this turn because of my magic card, but believe me mate, next turn you'll get it!" Valon concluded confidently. "Alright, one last chance then, here goes." James said dramatically as he drew a card. "Well this card will help. I activate Pot of Greed. This lets me draw two more cards from my deck." James said simply. Then James showed a huge grin when he looked at his two new cards. "What's so funny, mate?" Valon asked in slight fear. "I just drew the one card that can save me right here. So I sacrifice Command Knight, Reflect Bounder, and Gearfried the Iron Knight, in order to summon Gilford the Lightning!" James exclaimed as his new electrical warrior emerged on the field with 2800 attack and 1400 defense points.

"No, not that!" Valon exclaimed in realization of what was to come. "Yes, you see when Gilford is summoned by sacrificing three monsters instead of two, it can automatically destroy all monsters on your side of the field. So go, Gilford the Lightning activate your special ability and destroy all of Valon's armor cards!" James cried as his knight raised its electrical sword and sent a storm of lightning directly at Valon. The storm crackled all around him and with a groan of pain, Valon's armor cards were no more. "Not bad mate. Now finish up, do what needs to be done for your lady." Valon conceded. "That's not a bad idea. Kristiann, this one's for you. Gilford the Lightning attack Valon's life points directly and end this duel now!" James commanded as his knight ran forward and slashed Valon with his electrical blade, dropping his life points down to zero.

"That was a good duel." James admitted as the holograms disappeared and he walked towards his former rival. "Indeed it was, mate. I guess there are plenty of noble people in the world and I gotta admit you are one of the most. Good on ya!" Valon replied happily as he shook James' hand. "Sorry, Mai." Valon said to himself as he walked away.

"And the winner of this bout is James Alvarez!" Roland announced from the Kaiba Dome. "Which brings our first round A block duels to an end. And the winners are Joey Wheeler, Zigfried Lloyd, James Alvarez, and Dylan Fay. Don't go anywhere duel fans, because our first round B block duels are about to begin!"


	12. Chapter 12: Dueling Divas

Chapter 12- Dueling Divas

"The first round duels from the B block are about to begin!" Roland announced loudly and enthusiastically from the Kaiba Dome. "We take you now to Kaiba Land's very own Carousel of Fun where tag-team champion Kristiann Baluta is about to face off against the dueling diva Jessica Philips!" He added as the two beauties walked towards each other in front of a large carousel. "You ready to dance short stuff?" Jessica asked challengingly as she shuffled Kristiann's deck. "I was born ready." Kristiann replied bluntly as she shuffled Jessica's deck. "Go get her, honey! You can beat this chick no problem!" James called to his beloved from the waiting line area in front of the carousel as the two walked away from each other in preparation for the duel. Kristiann turned and smiled and was about to say something back, but was interrupted. "Is he still cheering for you? Well I'm sure he'll be singing a different tune once I beat you here in this duel. Isn't that right, Jamsie?" Jessica asked cutely.

"That's it! No one comes between James and me! You're going to get it here Jess!" Kristiann replied with fire in her eyes as she activated her duel disk. Jessica followed suit and both their life point meters read 4000. "Let's duel!" They both yelled at the same time.

"Normally they say age before beauty, but for you I'll make an exception." Kristiann remarked as she drew a card. "And I'll start off by summoning my Different Dimension Warrior Lady in defense mode." She then summoned as her warrior of light emerged on the field with 1500 attack points and 1600 defense points. "Then I'll lay one card facedown and end my turn." Kristiann concluded.

"Wow, with a lame excuse for an opening play like that one, this duel might be even easier than I originally thought." Jessica Philips commented sarcastically as she drew a card. "Wow, she's pretty obnoxious." James said to himself from the sidelines. "I know, she can be a real pain sometimes." Another girl said as she walked to James and stood next to him on the sidelines. She had long, golden brown hair and brown eyes. She wore a purple top with shorts and stylish shoes. "Whoa hey, you're Emma Lahana! What are you doing here?" James exclaimed. "I came here with Jessica Philips. Even though we're like best friends, she kinda roped me into coming here. But I don't mind; I get to watch the dueling action firsthand." Emma replied. "Well that's pretty cool." James replied as they both turned their attention back to the duel.

"I summon my Dunames Dark Witch in attack mode!" Jessica called out as her fairy monster emerged on the field with 1800 attack and 1050 defense. "Now Dark Witch, attack this twerp's warrior with dark fairy magic attack!" Jessica commanded as her monster ripped through Kristiann's with a flurry of magical energy. "That wasn't too smart because now you've activated my Warrior Lady's special ability. When she's destroyed in battle, I can remove her from the game and your monster as well." Kristiann explained as Jessica's monster disappeared as well.

"I'm one step ahead of you kid. Because now I activate this magic card: Last Will!" Jessica countered as she played her magic card. "If one of my monsters was destroyed this turn, then I can special summon another monster right from my deck. Granted it can't attack this turn, but it's still something. So I summon my Beautiful Headhuntress in attack mode!" Jessica explained as her new warrior emerged with 1600 attack and 800 defense. "I'll lay one card facedown for now and then end my turn." Jessica concluded.

"She may be a bit of a pest, but there's no doubt she's a good duelist." Emma Lahana told James on the sidelines. "That may be, but no one's better than my lady Kristiann." James replied confidently. "Whatever. She'll need all the help she can get for this duel. Anyways, I'm going to the bathroom, I'll be back." Emma stated as she walked away.

"It's gonna take more than that to stop me, Jess." Kristiann said confidently and somewhat angrily as she drew a card. "Whatever you say, kid. But before this duel is over I'll have you crawling back to wherever you came from and I'll be the champion here!" Jessica Philips laughed aloud as Kristiann returned an angry look.


	13. Chapter 13: A Question of Beauty

Chapter 13- A Question of Beauty

"Alright, Jess, here goes. I summon my Maha Vailo in attack mode." Kristiann stated as her light magician appeared on the field with 1550 attack and 1400 defense. "Even though my monster may be weaker than yours now, if I equip it with this card it becomes even stronger. So I equip my Maha Vailo with the powerful Black Pendant, increasing its attack power by 500, plus an extra 500 because of my spell caster's special ability." Kristiann explained as her mage's attack power grew to 2550. "You see Jess, my magician now has something that I do and you don't: a necklace of significance and a symbol of love and beauty. Now Maha Vailo show her what that truly means with your magical lightning attack!" Kristiann commanded as her monster let loose a surge of energy at Jessica's monster, destroying it and reducing her life points down to 3050.

"That'll end my turn." Kristiann concluded. "You dare to lecture me about beauty?!" Jessica replied angrily as she drew a card. "Kid, I've known what beauty was while you were still in diapers. I mean look at me, I'm one of the most famous supermodels in the world. I've been in countless magazines and commercials for the latest cosmetic products. So don't talk to me about beauty, kid, because when it comes to that, you don't even come close." Jessica ranted. "Is she still going on about stuff?" Emma Lahana asked James as she returned from the restroom. "Yea, now she's going on about how beautiful she is. Which I personally find pretty funny considering no one is more beautiful than Kristiann." James replied with nobility. "Well you'll never convince her of that." Emma replied.

"And I duel the same way I pose, with exceptional beauty. And to show that I'll summon my Dark Elf in attack mode." Jessica then added as her dark spell caster emerged on the field with 2000 attack points and 800 defense points. "Then I activate this magic card: Flattery. See, normally I would have to give up 1000 of my life points in order for my Dark Elf to attack. But this magic card prevents that and also increases my Elf's attack points by 1000 for this one turn." Jessica explained as her monster grew to 3000 attack points. "Now Dark Elf, attack this kid's Maha Vailo with dark cannon attack!" Jessica commanded. "Not so fast! I activate my trap card: Ultimate Offering!" Kristiann countered as she activated her trap. "This card lets me summon another monster from my hand as long as I give up 500 life points first. So now I summon my Magician's Valkyria in defense mode." Kristiann explained as her life points dropped to 3500 and her new spell caster emerged on the field with 1600 attack points and 1800 defense. Immediately, Dark Elf's attack stopped midair. "Hunh?! Why did my monster's attack stop?" Jessica asked in frustration. "Because my Valkryia has a special ability: as long as it's on the field, no other spell caster monster can be targeted for an attack." Kristiann explained.

"Fine then, I end my turn." Jessica concluded. "My turn then." Kristiann began as she drew a card. "Now I summon another monster: White Magician Pikeru in attack mode!" Kristiann said as her petite magician appeared on the field with 1200 attack and 0 defense. "Now, Maha Vailo, attack Dark Elf!" Kristiann exclaimed but was soon countered. "Not so fast, kid! I activate my trap: Magical Arm Shield! This card lets me redirect your attack to one of your own monsters. And I choose to attack Magician's Valkyria." Jessica explained as the attack was redirected and Valkyria was destroyed. "Hmph, that doesn't matter. I lay one card facedown and end my turn." Kristiann did so and concluded.

"I thought so, kid now let's end this here." Jessica laughed as she drew a card. "First off I activate Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two cards. Then I summon my Injection Fairy Lily in attack mode." Jessica stated as her cute fairy with a large syringe appeared on the field with 400 attack and 1500 defense. "Now my Fairy Lily has a special ability: all I have to do is give up 2000 of my life points, and I can increase her attack points by 3000." Jessica explained as her life points dropped to 1050 and her Lily's attack power rose to 3400. "Now, Fairy Lily attack Maha Vailo with your power needle strike!" Jessica commanded. "I'm afraid that's not going to work here, Jess. Because I activate my facedown card: Pikeru's Circle of Enchantment!" Kristiann countered. "This card makes it so I can't take damage this turn. So your attack was for nothing!" She then explained.

"You know, kid, you're really getting on my nerves." Jessica said to her rival. "And you're really getting on mine." James said quietly from the sidelines. "Well I don't see why, I'm not as shallow and stuck-up as you are." Kristiann calmly replied. "That's it, kid, you're gonna get it! In fact I dare you to make your next move because it might be your last! I lay one card facedown and end my turn." Jessica concluded with anger and challenge. "Bring it on then, you can't beat me." Kristiann countered as she drew a card. "That's right, kid you keep up that confident attitude. But mark my words you won't survive the end of my next turn!" Jessica Philips laughed evilly.


	14. Chapter 14: True Beauty

Chapter 14- True Beauty

"Before my turn can really begin, the special ability of my White Magician Pikeru activates, giving my 400 life points for every monster on my side of the field for a total of 800." Kristiann explained as her life points rose to 4300. "Now I think I can end this duel now by having my Maha Vailo attack your Injection Fairy Lily. Since you don't enough life points to give up, you can't increase its power. So go, Maha Vailo, attack her Fairy Lily and end this duel now!" Kristiann commanded, but Jessica had other plans. "Nice try kid, but I don't go down that easily. I activate my facedown card: A Beautiful Letdown!" Jessica countered as her magic card activated. "Not only does this card automatically end your battle phase, but it also allows me to move one ritual magic or monster card from my deck to my hand." Jessica explained as Maha Vailo's attack was stopped midair and she flashed a magic card from her deck and put it into her hand. "You better be careful kid because if I activate this card, you're finished." Jessica taunted as she shuffled her deck.

"I'll worry about that when we get there. For now I'll just lay one monster facedown in defense mode and end my turn." Kristiann concluded. "Ahaha, I knew you didn't have what it takes to beat me! And now I'm going to end this duel right here and now." Jessica laughed with overconfidence as she drew a card. "Because now I activate the magic card I just received last turn: Beauty's Dark Flame! Now all I have to do is sacrifice both my Dark Elf and my Injection Fairy Lily and I can summon a creature of both unmatched power and beauty!" Jessica exclaimed as both of her monsters disappeared. Then with a burst of flame, a new monster emerged. "Go Shining Devil Queen!" Jessica yelled as her seductive devil lady appeared on the field with 2800 attack points and 1500 defense points.

"Think you can beat this, kid? Well think again! Go Shining Devil Queen, attack Maha Vailo!" Jessica commanded as her devil unleashed a flurry of fire that destroyed Maha Vailo and reduced Kristiann's life points down to 4050. "There goes one of your strongest monsters, kid." Jessica stated accomplished. "You may have destroyed my Maha Vailo, but you've activated the special ability of the Black Pendant she was wearing. Once it's sent to the graveyard, Black Pendant automatically inflicts 500 points of direct damage to your life points." Kristiann explained as Jessica's life points dropped to 550. "Hmph that may be kid, but you still can't get past my new monster. I lay one cared facedown and end my turn." Jessica concluded.

"Hmm, Kristiann over there is going to have some problems getting past that strong devil monster." Emma Lahana stated. "That may be, but she's still got the way upper hand. After all she still has 4050 life points and Jessica only has 550. Plus Kristiann is a much better duelist." James replied confidently. "Well make your move, kid." Jessica taunted. "You might regret those words, Jess, because this turn, I win." Kristiann said with fire in her eyes. "First off I activate the powers of White Magician Pikeru, boosting my life points." Kristiann stated as her life points grew to 4850. "Then I activate Graceful Charity. This card lets me draw three cards, but then I have to discard two." Kristiann explained as she fulfilled the card's actions. "Right, this is where it all ends. I flip up my facedown monster to reveal Penguin Soldier!" Kristiann flipped her armed penguin monster with 750 attack and 500 defense into attack mode. "But there's more than that. My Penguin Soldier has a special ability: when it's flipped summon to the field, I can send up to two monsters on your side of the field back to your hand. And I choose to target your Shining Devil Queen!" Kristiann yelled as Shining Devil Queen was removed from the field and returned to Jessica's hand. "No! You think you're so smart kid, but you're not. I activate my facedown magic card Eternal Youth!" Jessica countered with anger as her card activated. "See, if a monster was returned to my hand during this turn, I can automatically summon it back to the field in attack mode. In addition, I can also destroy one of your monsters that have been on the field for more than one turn." Jessica explained as her Devil Queen returned to the field in attack mode and Kristiann's White Magician Pikeru was destroyed.

"Alright, no big deal, I'll just summon my Bolt Penguin in attack mode then." Kristiann said as her electric penguin emerged on the field with 1100 attack and 800 defense. "Then I'll activate the powers of my Ultimate Offering trap, allowing me to summon another monster to the field." Kristiann continued as her life points dropped to 4350. "So I sacrifice both of my monsters in order to summon my favorite monster: Shining Arctic Queen in attack mode!" Kristiann yelled as her two monsters disappeared and with a cold wind's blow, her beautiful queen emerged with 2800 attack and 1500 defense. "Ha, it doesn't matter, our monsters have the same attack power; they would destroy each other." Jessica laughed with somewhat relief.

"It doesn't matter Jess, because I'm winning right here and right now. I'm going to show you what true beauty is all about. It's not about fancy clothes and make up and all that your devil monster stands for. And it's certainly not about egotism like the kind you have. True beauty is true love and love is going to win the day here in this duel." Kristiann said eloquently. "That's just a lot of talk! I'd like to see you do something about it!" Jessica countered with anger, annoyance, and slight fear. "I will, Jess. It ends now. Go Shining Arctic Queen, attack her Devil Queen now with beautiful freeze attack!" Kristiann commanded as her queen monster flew forward to strike Jessica's. Jessica's monster also flew forward and their light and dark energy struggled against each other midfield.

"You must be crazy, kid; our monsters will destroy each other!" Jessica exclaimed. "They may be even now, but I can still activate this quick-play magic card: Second Chance. This card lets me use the effect of a magic card that was destroyed last turn, only it doubles the effect of that card." Kristiann explained as she played the final magic card. "And I choose to re-equip my Black Pendant to my Shining Arctic Queen. Only this time around it gets an extra 1000 attack points. It's over Jess, I win." Kristiann finished as the powerful necklace appeared around her queen's neck and increased its power to 3800. In one final struggle, Shining Arctic Queen overpowered its devilish counterpart and destroyed it, reducing Jessica's life points down to 0.

"Argh, I lost!" Jessica shouted in frustration. "Alright Jessica, give it a rest. You lost, just face it and move on." Emma Lahana said as she walked out to the field where the two were dueling. James also ran out into the area and gave Kristiann a huge hug. "Great dueling, honey, I knew you could beat that fake!" James exclaimed encouragingly. "Aw, it's not fair, I wanted to be the best." Jessica Philips whined as Emma comically dragged her away. "Thanks baby, I had a little inspiration." Kristiann replied as she gave James a quick peck on the lips. "Alright, I guess we can both be on our way then. To the next round!" James exclaimed happily and the two walked off together.


	15. Chapter 15: Cold as Ice

Chapter 15- Cold as Ice

"Well what do you want to do now? The next round of the tournament doesn't start until tomorrow, so we have at least a few hours still nighttime when the park closes." James stated as he and Kristiann were walking around Kaiba Land. Since both of them had won their respective duels, they were free for the rest of the day. "I don't know, let's just walk around I guess." Kristiann replied. "And with only one duel still in progress, it's sure to be a hot one! Who knows who will win this duel? Stay tuned and find out!" Roland's voice resonated from a nearby television in a shop. "Hey look William Miller is still dueling that Ice guy!" Kristiann stated as she stopped and looked at the screen. "No way! Alright we just have to go and check it out! Please!" James pleaded with enthusiasm. "Of course, let's go!" Kristiann agreed and the two were off.

Kristiann and James ran over to the Kaiba Coaster, a large roller coaster with cars shaped like Blue-Eyes White Dragons. In front of the coaster, was the two dueling figures of William Miller and Ice. William had one facedown card on the field and a strange, gentlemanly monster and only 1000 life points. Ice on the other hand, had a powerful-looking mammoth monster and two facedown cards. Unlike his opponent however, Ice had 2300 life points. It was apparently William's turn.

Kristiann and James ran up to a nearby balcony area where the familiar Leon Wilson was standing. "Hey Leon, how's everything going?" Kristiann asked in greeting. "Oh hey guys, things are good. I won my duel, so I'm pretty happy. Now I'm just watching this one. Kinda getting a head's up on the competition I guess." Leon joked. "Yea, us too. So how is this duel going? William's not looking so good out there." James observed. "Yea, I'll say. This Ice person is something else. He may seem like a hot-head in real life, but on the dueling field, he's simply cold and calculating. He's actually a really good duelist." Leon commented. "Well we'll just have to wait and see. Come on William, you can do it!" Kristiann shouted encouragingly to the dueling boy, mostly out of spite because she was not too fond of Ice.

"Alright, my move." William stated as he drew a card. "First off, I'll summon this monster: Witch's Spirit in attack mode." William stated as his phantasmal monster appeared on the field with 750 attack and 1500 defense. "Then I activate this magic card: Suffering of the Low Man! If I have a monster that's weaker than yours, then I can destroy one of your monsters automatically. So I'll use it to destroy your Last Tusk Mammoth!" William explained as Ice's mammoth disappeared. "Now, Illusory Gentleman, attack Ice's life points directly!" William commanded as his other monster shot a beam of energy from its cane. "Nice try, but it won't work. I activate my trap card Mirror Force. This takes your attack and sends it right back at you, destroying all of your monsters." Ice countered.

"I figured you had a trap, so I'll activate a trap of my own: Trap Jammer! This automatically destroys your trap before its effect can take hold." William countered. "On the contrary, but I think I'll counter your counter with this: Driving Snow. I can activate this when you threaten to destroy one of my trap cards and destroy the card that threatens to do so." Ice again countered. After the chain had been carried out, Mirror Force was able to take effect and it destroyed all of William's monsters. "I told you this guy was tough. Every time William seems to have a good move, Ice is always one step ahead of him." Leon commented. "You weren't kidding." James agreed.

"I don't have anything else I can do, so I'll lay this card facedown and end my turn." William concluded sadly. "Alright, then I think it's time to put the freeze on you once and for all." Ice said as he drew a card. "First off I activate this magic card: Ice Age Panic. This allows me to automatically summon my Freezing Beast in attack mode." Ice began as his ice monster appeared with 1500 attack and 100 defense. "Then I activate this other magic card Ice Sword's Soul! All I have to do is destroy my Freezing Beast and this monster from my hand and I can ritual summon my Dominant Ice Knight in attack mode!" Ice explained as his warrior emerged onto the field with 2500 attack and 2300 defense.

"It's been fun, Miller, but it ends now. Dominant Ice Knight, attack his life points directly and end this duel now." Ice commanded. "Hold on, I still have one chance left. I activate my trap card: Numinous Healer! This card will increase my life points by 1000 plus an extra 500 for each Numinous Healer card in my graveyard." William countered. "That would've saved you, but I'm afraid I can't allow that. I activate the special ability of my Dominant Ice Knight!" Ice countered again. "All I have to do is remove one water monster from my graveyard from play and I can negate and destroy your trap card." Ice explained as William's trap was destroyed and his last hope of victory crushed. Ice's knight completed it's attack and with a swing of it's mighty ice sword, reduced William's life points to 0.

"Aw man I lost." William said sadly as Ice walked away without a word. "It's ok, William, you'll get it next time." James said to him encouragingly as he, Kristiann, and Leon walked up to where he was knelling. "That's right, Willy, you played a good duel." An old man's voice said from a distance. Everyone turned to see an old gentleman, somewhat bald and with glasses, but dressed nicely with a brown suit and pants. "Grandpa, you saw the duel?" William asked the old man. "Of course, as soon as I found out you were in this competition, I came here to check it out." The old man replied. "Thanks, Grandpa. I love you." William said as he stood up and hugged his grandfather.

Kristiann gave James a knowing look, but it took him a minute to realize just who the old man was. "Wait, if you're William's grandpa… then that means that you're Arthur Miller!" James exclaimed loudly. "The one and only." Arthur Miller replied. "No way! I'm your biggest fan! Please, Mr. Miller sir could you sign my copy of _The Crucible_?!" James asked most enthusiastically as he pulled out the book. "You know, it's kinda scary that he carries that around with him." Leon whispered to Kristiann, who giggled in reply. "Um, maybe sometime later. I think Willy and I are going to get some dinner now. I appreciate the enthusiasm though. Good day, kids." Arthur Miller answered somewhat caught off guard by James' outburst. "You know, Willy, I really didn't like writing that play. Why does everyone want me to autograph that one?" Arthur grumbled to his grandson as soon as they were out of earshot.

"Oh, well maybe next time, James. For now we should probably go back to the hotel for some dinner and stuff. See ya later Leon!" Kristiann offered as she walked off with a much disheartened James. Leon waved back and then went his separate way. They all needed a good night's sleep to prepare for the next day's duels.


	16. Chapter 16: Ordeal of the Quiz Bowl

Chapter 16- Ordeal of the Quiz Bowl

"Ladies and gentlemen welcome back to the KC Grand Championship! This is the second day of our competition so likewise it is the second round matches." Roland announced from the inside of the Kaiba Dome. Now there was only eight contestants left standing inside. "Yesterday half of our competitors were eliminated from the tournament, so now its time for the top eight to compete in the quarterfinals." Roland explained. "Here on the Kaiba Tron we have our A block matchups: Joey Wheeler versus Zigfried Lloyd and James Alvarez versus Dylan Fay!" Roland continued. James shot a nasty look at Fay who returned the look. "And in our B block we have Leon Wilson versus Rebecca Hawkins and Kristiann Baluta versus Ice! May the duels today be fierce and may the best duelists win!" Roland finished as the contestants all headed off to their respective locations.

"Our second round duels are about to begin! First off, if you can't take the heat, then get out of the volcanic pit where trendsetter Zigfried Lloyd faces off against jumpin' Joey Wheeler! Next, this duel is sure to have its ups and downs as legendary tag-team champion James Alvarez faces off against the boy genius Dylan Fay atop our very own Tower of Thrills! Then it's time for a big brawl in a small town where our youngest competitors Rebecca Hawkins and Leon Wilson face off against each other. And I don't mean to be cold, but our last duel takes place in our Arctic Adventure Area between the beautiful Kristiann Baluta and the chilly Ice!" Roland continued as the eight duelists walked out to their respective areas and prepared for their duels.

Atop the Tower of Thrills as it was called, James and Fay shuffled each others' decks, each looking murderously at each other. "You know Fay, I'm really going to enjoy beating you here." James told his rival challengingly. "And I'm going to enjoy beating your puny butt once and for all." Fay replied equally as challengingly. "Fine then take it. And may the best man win." James said as he returned Fay's deck. "Thanks. And when I do, you'll be sorry for ever challenging me." Fay said as he returned the gesture and the two competitors walked off to opposite sides of the tower. They both activated their duel disks and set their life points to 4000. "Let's duel!" The both said at the same time as the duel officially began.

"I'll start off. And I'll do so by laying one card facedown and one monster facedown in defense mode, just to keep you guessing." Fay said simply after he drew a card. "That's it? Maybe you're not as great as you think you are." James said somewhat relieved by his opponent's opening play. "We'll see." Fay replied calmly and ominously. "I actually plan on doing some damage. That's why I'm summoning my Marauding Captain in attack mode." James said as his caped warrior emerged on the field with 1200 attack and 400 defense. "And his special ability lets me summon another monster this turn. And I choose my Getsu Fuhma in attack mode." James added as his dark warrior appeared with 1700 attack and 1200 defense.

"Now, Getsu Fuhma, attack his facedown monster with dark slash attack!" James commanded as his warrior charged forward to slash apart his enemy. "You think I'd let you attack that easily? Well think again, because I activate my trap card: Ordeal of a Traveler!" Fay revealed as James' monster stopped attacking. "Here's how it works: every time you try to attack I hold up a card from my hand. If you can guess what kind of card it is, either magic, trap, or monster, then you can attack. But if you guess wrong, then the monster you're attacking with is automatically returned to your hand." Fay explained. "Now which kind of card is this?" Fay asked tauntingly as he held up a card. James thought hard for a moment and then gave his answer. "It's a monster card." He guessed. "Incorrect! It's a magic card, Card Destruction to be precise. Since you guessed wrong your monster is returned to your hand." Fay revealed as Getsu Fuhma returned to James' hand.

"Well fine, I still have another monster I can attack with. Go Marauding Captain, attack Fay's defense monster!" James tried again. "Uh, uh, uh, you still have to guess what kind of card I have here in my hand." Fay taunted as he waved up a card. James thought for a minute more and then gave his response. "Since I already know one card in your hand is a magic card, I'm gonna say that that card you have is a monster." James replied semi-confidently. "Ah, James, as wrong as ever. This card I have here is indeed a magic card, the same one I just showed you. I figured you wouldn't count on me choosing that card again. And I was totally right. Now your Marauding Captain is returned to your hand." Fay revealed as James' Captain disappeared from the field.

"Hmm, I lay two cards facedown and end my turn." James concluded in desperation. "What's the matter, James? Are my quiz cards getting to you already? Well we've only just begun! I have a whole deck full of cards that are meant to keep you guessing. You need to be totally focused in order to survive here. Which you won't of course. Because by the end of this duel, not only will your brain hurt, but you'll be knocked out of this tournament too!" Fay laughed aloud.


	17. Chapter 17: Reversal of Fortune

Chapter 17- Reversal of Fortune

"It's my move now." Fay began his turn by drawing a card. "First, I'll flip up my defense monster to reveal Exarion Universe!" Fay revealed as his dark centaur emerged from the card in attack mode with 1800 attack and 1900 defense. "Then I'll summon this monster also in attack mode: Gagagigo!" He added as his reptile monster appeared with 1850 attack and 1000 defense. "But before I attack, I'll activate this magic card: Giant Trunade! This card sends all of our magic and traps card back to our hands." Fay said as James' two facedown cards returned to his hand and Fay's trap card returned to his. "Now, go Exarion Universe attack James' life points directly!" Fay commanded as his dark centaur charged and slashed James with its mighty staff, reducing James' life points to 2200. "Now, Gagagigo, also attack James' life points!" Fay again commanded with fervor as the mighty reptile slashed James across the chest and brought his life points down to 350. "That's enough destruction for one turn, so I lay one card facedown and end my turn." Fay concluded.

"Gee thanks." James said sarcastically. "Still think you stand a chance against me, James? Or have I proven well enough that you should just give up here?" Fay asked tauntingly. "Fay, in my experience, I've learned to never give up, even when the odds are way against you. So no, sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not giving up. In fact I'm going to fight even harder to make up for a bad first few moves. But here goes." James continued as he drew a card. "And I think it's time to turn the tables on you by activating this magic card: Lightning Vortex! All I have to do is discard one card from my hand and I can automatically destroy all monsters on your side of the field." James explained as he did indeed discard a card and all of Fay's monsters were destroyed in a big blaze of lightning.

"That doesn't mean anything; you still don't stand a chance." Fay said more annoyed than anything my James' reversal move. "If you think that was bad, then you'll love this card. This card represents to me all that I duel for and practically the reason I even entered this tournament. You wouldn't get it, Fay, but this card means to the world to me. And I'll use it now to totally turn this duel around." James went on. "I activate Synchronized Hearts! This card takes an average of our two life points and that becomes our new life point totals." James explained as both of their life points went from 350 and 4000 respectively to 2175 for the both of them. "No way, you couldn't have!" Fay exclaimed in disbelief. "I just did and now I summon my Getsu Fuhma back to the field from my hand." James said as his dark warrior remerged with 1700 attack and 1200 defense.

"Now, Getsu Fuhma, attack Fay's life points directly!" James commanded dramatically to complete his revolution. "Not so fast, James. I still have my facedown card which you might find rather familiar. I activate Ordeal of a Traveler!" Fay countered. "Now guess, what kind of card am I holding here?" Fay asked tauntingly. "I'd have to say it's a magic card." James answered semi-confidently. "Incorrect! This card just happens to be a monster, Three-Headed Geedo to be exact. So say goodbye to your attack as Getsu Fuhma returns to your hand once again." Fay revealed happily. "Hmm, back to where we started then. I'll lay one card facedown and end my turn." James concluded.

Meanwhile…

"Vatch and learn," Zigfried Lloyd said as he drew a card. "I activate the magic card Graceful Charity. This card lets me draw three cards, und discard two." He then explained. "Then I'll end my turn by laying one card facedown." Zigfried concluded. "Whew, I thought you might actually win again in one turn like you did last time. But you can't even summon a monster!" Joey laughed, but Zigfried wasn't paying attention to him. His eyes were focused on a security camera to the side of him. "I thought you'd be onto me by now, Herr Kaiba. Perhaps you just need a little hint." Zigfried whispered to himself as he rolled up his sleeve a bit and pressed a button on his watch. "Now it's time to turn up the heat!" Joey exclaimed confidently as he drew a card. But just then a huge stream of magma burst up from the nearby lava pool. "Youch, not that hot!" Joey shouted in surprise. "Hey Mokuba, these flames are a little too realistic, could you turn it down a bit?" Téa asked. "There's just one problem, guys: this isn't part of the attraction!" Mokuba exclaimed in surprise and fear.

Back on the Tower of Thrills…

"Alright, now it's time for me to rise above you again in this duel." Fay said as he drew a card. But just then, the tower started rumbling. "Hey, what's going on?" Fay then exclaimed in confusion as the Tower began to activate and the cart began rapidly moving up and down, rumbling the top of the tower as well. "Hey, whoa, I don't think this was supposed to happen?" James said as he started sliding. But just as suddenly as the rumbling began, it stopped and the tower returned to normal. "Whew, that was a close one." James sighed as he walked back to safe ground in the dueling area. "Whatever that was, it's stopped now. So where was I? Oh yes, I was about to take back this duel." Fay restated. "And I'll start by boosting up my life points again with this card: Emergency Provisions!" Fay stated. "All I have to do is destroy my Ordeal of a Traveler card and my life points go up by 1000 points." Fay explained as he did so and his life points rose to 3175.

"Now that I once again have the upper hand, as I always have, I think it's time totally change the rules of this game." Fay stated. "And how are you going to do that?" James asked incredulously. "By merging Quiz Bowl and Duel Monsters in a way that's never been done before. And this card lets me do that. I activate the magic card Quiz Hour!" Fay exclaimed as he played his favorite magic card. Immediately, three facedown defense monsters appeared on the field. "What's going on, Fay? What are you talking about?" James asked in confusion. "Oh you'll find out. I just dare you to attack one of these three monsters. And when you do, the duel can really begin!" Fay laughed as he ended his turn.


	18. Chapter 18: Double Jeopardy

Chapter 18- Double Jeopardy

"I guess it's my move then." James said as he drew a card. "Now I'll summon a real monster. For the third time this duel, I summon Getsu Fuhma in attack mode!" James said as he again summoned his dark warrior with 1700 attack and 1200 defense. "Now Getsu Fuhma, attack the monster on the right!" James commanded pointing to the third monster on Fay's side of the field. "I was hoping you'd hit that one. You see, now you've activated the special ability of my Quiz Panel Obelisk: 10, the first of my Quiz Panel cards." Fay said as he revealed his facedown monster. "You see, Duel Monsters skills mean nothing now. Now you have to rely on your intellect and Quiz Bowl abilities, a field that I'm unmatched in. But enough talk, onto business. You see, whenever you attack a Quiz Panel monster, you have to answer its question or challenge. And here's the question for this monster: Name the 3 cards needed to activate 'Huge Revolution.' Remember, you only have ten seconds to answer. Go." Fay explained and quizzed. "You really don't know me Fay, but when it comes to revolutions, I never lose, with or without guillotines. The answer is the three monsters: People Running About, Oppressed People, and United Resistance." James answered skillfully.

"What?! Oh you only got it right because it wasn't about the Russian Revolution!" Fay exclaimed with an inside joke. "Ok, so the first one was easy. Because you got the question right, I lose 500 life points and my Quiz Panel Obelisk: 10 is destroyed. But then I get to automatically summon another Quiz Panel monster facedown in defense mode in its place." Fay explained as his life points dropped to 2675. "Alright, I guess I'll end my turn then." James concluded. "Alright, then let the quiz continue." Fay said as he drew a card. "As long as my Quiz Hour magic card is on the field, I can't summon any other monsters than the ones that are already there and other Quiz Panel cards by effect. But I'm still able to play this magic card: Dark Room of Nightmare." Fay played. "As long as this card remains in effect, every time you lose life points due to the effect of one of my cards, you take an extra 300 point damage." Fay then explained. "I end my turn." He concluded.

"Then I guess it's my turn again." James said as he drew a card. "Now I activate the magic card Graceful Charity. This let's me draw three cards, but then I have to discard two." James explained. "Then I'll summon my Rocket Warrior in attack mode." James stated as his rocket-shaped knight appeared with 1500 attack and 1300 defense. "Now I'll speed up the rate of this little quiz show by activating my facedown card: Call of the Haunted. This lets me bring back one monster from my graveyard. And I choose a monster I just discarded through the effect of my Graceful Charity: Luminous Soldier!" James exclaimed as his light warrior emerged with 2100 attack and 1400 defense.

"Now let's continue our assault. Getsu Fuhma, attack the monster on the left." James commanded as his dark warrior attacked. "Now you've just revealed another one of my Quiz Panel monsters. This time it's Quiz Panel Slifer: 10! And this one has a unique challenge for you. Instead of answering a question, you have to do 20 push-ups in 10 seconds." Fay explained. "You've got to be kidding me!" James complained. "This is no joke, James. Drop down and give me twenty!" Fay insisted. James tried his hardest, but only got to eighteen before the time limit was up. "Oh too bad, James. Since you failed my Quiz Panel's challenge, you now take 500 points of direct damage, only to be amplified by my Dark Room of Nightmare's effect." Fay explained as James' life points dropped to 1375. "Not only that, but now your monster is destroyed as well. And I can replace my Quiz Panel Slifer: 10 with a stronger monster right away also." Fay continued as Getsu Fuhma and Quiz Panel Slifer: 10 were both destroyed, only Fay's monster was replaced with another facedown monster.

"Dare to attack again?" Fay asked tauntingly. "Of course I am! Go Rocket Warrior, attack the monster on the right again." James commanded as Fay flipped another one of his Quiz Panel monsters. "Now this one is stronger than my previous two and as such comes at a higher cost of 800 life points, should you get it wrong. Which you will don't worry. Now as my Quiz Panel Obelisk: 20 reads: What is the total combined number of Levels of monsters in both Graveyards?" Fay asked. James thought for a moment and then answered. "It's 14!" He said confidently. "Hmm, that's correct. In that case, I take 800 points of damage." Fay said miserably as his life points dropped to 1875.

"And since I'm feeling lucky, I'll attack again with my Luminous Soldier. This time I'll attack your middle card." James said as Fay revealed yet another Quiz Panel monster. "Ha, this time it's Quiz Panel Ra: 10. Now, you remember that Gagagigo monster I played not too long ago right. Well now have to say the names of all cards in that family three times in a row. Just try that one on for size!" Fay challenged. "Alright, I will Gagagigo, Giga Gagagigo and Gogiga Gagagigo! Gagagigio Gagia Gagagigio Gogigas… Yarg I give!" James said as he fumbled with the tongue twister. "Exactly wrong! Now you lose a total of 1100 life points from that panel and your Luminous Soldier and Call of the Haunted trap are destroyed, only to make way for another Quiz Panel monster." Fay stated as James' monster and trap were both destroyed and his life points dropped to 275.

"I have no choice but to end my turn now." James said desperately. "Fine with me." Fay replied as he drew a card. "Hmm, I see no need to play anything now. I'll just end my turn and let my Quiz Panel cards finish you off next turn." Fay concluded quickly. "Alright, last chance I guess." James stated as he drew a card. "Now remember James, with only 275 life points left, you won't be able to take another wrong question." Fay taunted matter-of-factly. "I'm well aware of that." James replied. But then something dawned on him. "Wait a minute, your Quiz Panel monsters can only remain on the field if your Quiz Hour magic card is in play. So if I destroy that, then all your Quiz Panel monsters will disappear! And this is the perfect card to do it with. Go Mystical Space Typhoon! Destroy Fay's Quiz Hour card and put an end to this mad quiz show." James exclaimed as he played the magic card. "No!" Fay shouted in anger as his magic card and all of his precious Quiz Panel cards disappeared.

"Now, Fay, your life points are definitely in jeopardy. And I can end this duel right away. I sacrifice my Rocket Warrior in order to summon my Airknight Parshath in attack mode." James said as his angelic centaur emerged with 1900 attack and 1400 defense. "Now, Airknight, attack Fay's life points and put an end to this deranged Quiz Bowl match!" James commanded as his Airknight rushed forward and slashed Fay right across the chest, reducing his life points to zero. "No way! I'm the best! No one beats me at Quiz Bowl or Duel Monsters! You'll pay for this, James!" Fay ranted as James simply smiled at his newfound victory.


	19. Chapter 19: Minus Celsius

Chapter 19- Minus Celsius

Meanwhile, on the other side of Kaiba Land, Kristiann and Ice were getting ready for their duel in the Arctic Adventure Area, a large room set to arctic conditions. "So, kid, you ready to duel?" Ice said coldly as he shuffled her deck. "Of course I am. Don't worry; I'll burn you good in this duel." Kristiann replied angrily, but with an obvious joke. "Whatever." Ice responded as he returned her deck. She did the same and the two walked to opposite sides of the area. "And for one thing I'm tired of being called 'kid' in this tournament!" Kristiann grumbled under her breath as she walked. When both were standing a good distance away from each other, they both activated their duel disks and set their life points to 4000. "Let's duel!" They both yelled in unison at each other.

"Since this is practically my home turf, I'll begin this duel." Ice said ungentlemanly like as he drew a card. "I'll summon my Freezing Beast in attack mode and lay two cards facedown." Ice played as his icicle monster emerged with 1500 attack and 1000 defense. "That'll end my turn." Ice concluded simply. "That's it? The way you beat William in the first round I figured you'd have a really awesome opening move." Kristiann commented. "Patience, my strategies are always thoroughly planned out and foolproof. As such, they take time to fully develop. But don't worry, I'll put you on ice soon enough. Now make your move." Ice urged.

"Fine then, I will." Kristiann said indignantly as she drew a card. "First, I summon my D.D. Assailant in attack mode." Kristiann called as her female warrior emerged with 1700 attack and 1600 defense. "Now, D.D. Assailant, attack Ice's Freezing Beast!" She commanded as her warrior unsheathed its huge blade and charged at Ice's monster. "A noble attempt, but I'm afraid it won't work. I activate my facedown magic card: Shrink. This card halves the attack power of your warrior, making it weaker than mine." Ice explained as Kristiann's warrior's attack points were halved and Freezing Beast counter-attacked and destroyed it, reducing Kristiann's life points to 3350. "You may have destroyed my D.D. Assailant, but she's got a special ability: whenever she's destroyed from battle, not only is she removed from play, but your monster is as well." Kristiann explained. "I have a counter for that too. I activate my other facedown card: Interdimensional Matter Transporter. This allows me to remove my Freezing Beast from play until the end of your turn, making it impossible to target." Ice said as his beast disappeared.

"Wow, that was a really good move!" Kristiann exclaimed. "Please, I may act all angry and such outside of the area, but when it comes right down to it in the heat of battle, I'm nothing but cool, calm, and calculating. And I'm always one step ahead of my opponents. I prepare for any and all scenarios on the dueling field. It's all I've ever known." Ice stated. "What do you mean, Ice?" Kristiann asked. "You probably don't know this, but my father was a scientist who specialized in the arctic field. He was one of the main trailblazers to the frozen terrain. When I was only ten years old, he had to be stationed in Antarctica itself for research. And he took me with him. Life was hard in subzero conditions, but it wasn't all bad. I learned a lot about the frozen continent. But more than that, my father, even when he had to fight for survival in the Arctic, he still always had time for me. That's how I learned to play Duel Monsters. Every night we would play in our shelter to pass the time. And during the day I was even able to help him in his studies. Soon I became very attached to the Arctic. When I was older, my father was able to return home to the mainland. I was almost sad to go, but I knew it was best for the family. But then one day I heard that a Duel Monsters tournament was being held in Antarctica for the continent's championship. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to be a hero to my homeland. So I entered and won and well, here I am today." Ice revealed. "But now I'm here to not only become champion of Antarctica, but of the entire world. And frankly, you're in my way. So please, finish your turn so we can let the deep freeze commence." Ice urged.

"Alright, I will. I lay one card facedown and end my turn." Kristiann concluded. "Very well, since it's my turn now, my Freezing Beast returns to the field." Ice said as his monster did indeed reappear and he drew a card. "So now I'll summon another arctic-based monster: Nightmare Penguin in attack mode." Ice said as his demonic penguin emerged with 900 attack points and 1800 defense points. "And my dark penguin has a handy little special ability: as long as it remains face-up on the field, all of my water monsters gain an extra 200 attack points." Ice explained as his Freezing Beast's attack points rose to 1700 and his Nightmare Penguin's attack points rose to 1100. "And since you obviously have a trap facedown, I believe I'll prevent you from activating it with this: my Cold Wave magic card. This card stops you from activating any of your facedown magic or trap cards for one turn." Ice played. "Now my Nightmare Penguin, attack Kristiann's life points directly." Ice commanded as his dark penguin attacked Kristiann, reducing her life points to 2250. "Now Freezing Beast, follow suit!" Ice again commanded as his aqua beast slashed Kristiann, bringing her life points now down to 550.

"Hmm, not a bad lead, so I'll lay this one card facedown and end my turn." Ice concluded. "This duel is not going to be easy." Kristiann said under her breath as she drew a card. "Well no one said it was going to be easy. But I am saying here that it really won't take long for me to put the freeze on you once and for all." Ice laughed.


	20. Chapter 20: Blaze of Glory

Chapter 20- Blaze of Glory

"Alright here goes. I summon my Gemini Elf in attack mode." Kristiann began her turn by summon her twin elves with 1900 attack and 900 defense. "Then I'll activate this magic card: Power of Sisterhood. This card lets me draw two cards from my deck if I have a Gemini Elf monster on my side of the field." Kristiann explained as she drew her cards. "And now Ice, here's something I'm sure you weren't expecting. This is my most favorite magic card and for good reason too. You see, there's only two of this card in existence and they're owned by two very worthy people. I activate a powerful magic card known only as Synchronized Hearts!" Kristiann explained as her magic card activated. "Here's how it works: an average is taken of our two life points and then that average becomes our new life point totals." Kristiann explained as both of their life points read 2275.

"Hmph, not a bad move; I'll admit I didn't see that one coming. Not that it totally matters in the long run." Ice commented. "It will, when your life points hit zero. And I'll help that along now by attacking your Nightmare Penguin with Gemini Elf." Kristiann said as her elves threw an orb of magic energy at Ice's monster. "I'm afraid your attack is for nothing. Because I activate my trap card: Sakuretsu Armor. This card automatically destroys your attacking monster." Ice explained as Gemini Elf disappeared. "Hmm, I lay one more card facedown and end my turn." Kristiann concluded.

"Very well, my move." Ice began. "And I'll start off here by sacrificing my Freezing Beast in order to summon my Primal Ice Beast in attack mode." Ice played as his ferocious ice monster appeared with 2300 attack and 1200 defense. "Now my Ice Beast, attack Kristiann's life points directly and put an end to this duel." Ice commanded as his beast rushed forward.

"I'm not giving in that easily, Ice. I activate my trap card: Fairy Box." Kristiann countered. "It's a bit risky, but my trap card makes it so that you have to flip a coin every time one of your monsters attacks. If it's heads, then your attack works fine. But if it's tails, then your monster's attack points are reduced to 0 during that turn. But luckily I have a card that will make sure I win at least this coin flip. Go Sure Fire Shot! This card can be activated when I activate a card that requires a coin flip and makes sure that the flip is what I want it to be. And I make it tails, negating your attack." Kristiann explained as her traps negated Ice's attack.

"Hmph, whatever, I can still attack with my Nightmare Penguin." Ice stated as his Penguin went in to attack. "Don't forget you still have to pass my coin flip from my Fairy Box trap card." Kristiann said as Ice pulled a coin out of his coat. "I didn't forget. Here goes." Ice stated as he flipped the coin into the air. "And it's tails. I guess that means my attack is negated." Ice revealed disappointingly. "That's right!" Kristiann replied happily. "No matter. I end my turn." Ice concluded. "Then it's my turn to turn this duel around." Kristiann stated as she drew a card.

But then suddenly, the room got significantly colder and a harsh wind began to blow snow all across the room. "What's going on?" Kristiann asked. But then just as suddenly as the snow storm came, it all stopped and the room retuned to normal. "Hmm, that was weird." Ice commented. "Well it's over now, so I'll make my move here and now." Kristiann returned. "First off, I have to give up 500 life points in order to keep my Fairy Box in play." Kristiann stated as her life points dropped to 1775. "Then I'll activate this magic card in order to bring back my Gemini Elf. Go Monster Reborn!" Kristiann activated as her Elf returned to the field. "But then, I'll sacrifice my Gemini Elf in order to summon my Vampire Lord in attack mode." Kristiann said as her vampire monster appeared with 2000 attack and 1500 defense. "Now since there's nothing left to protect you, Vampire Lord, attack Ice's Nightmare Penguin with shadow rush strike!" Kristiann commanded as her vampire shot a rush of dark energy at her enemy monster, destroying it and reducing Ice's life points to 1375. "And my Vampire Lord's special ability makes it so you have to discard one trap card from your deck." Kristiann explained as Ice discarded a trap card from his deck and reshuffled it. "That'll end my turn." Kristiann concluded.

"Alright, Kristiann, you have earned my respect. And it's for that reason that it's now time to destroy you once and for all." Ice said as he drew a card. "But first it becomes necessary to replenish my hand. I activate Card of Sanctity." Ice said as he and his opponent drew cards. "Now that I have exactly what I need, I can activate this card: Ice Sword's Soul. Now all I have to do is sacrifice my Primal Ice Beast and this monster from my hand, and I can ritual summon one of my strongest monsters: Dominant Ice Knight!" Ice exclaimed as his beast disappeared and his knight appeared in its place with 2500 attack and 2300 defense. "Now get ready for this! First off, I remove my Freezing Beast in my graveyard from play and I can destroy your Fairy Box." Ice stated as Kristiann's trap disappeared. "Now my Ice Knight has a clear shot at your Vampire Lord. Dominant Ice Knight, attack Vampire Lord now!" Ice exclaimed as his knight slashed Kristiann's monster, reducing her life points to 1275.

"Next, I'll lay one card facedown and end my turn." Ice concluded. "Alright, my move then." Kristiann began. She glanced over her hand and tried to think of a way to destroy Ice's knight. Then everything came to her. "Here it goes, Ice, your knight is history. But first I have to summon this monster: go Shining Fairy LV 2 in attack mode." Kristiann stated as her small fairy appeared with 600 attack and 400 defense. "But my fairy has a special ability. All I have to do is sacrifice it and I can summon my Shining Fairy LV 6 in attack mode." Kristiann said as her adult fairy appeared in a blaze of light with 2800 attack and 1800 defense. "Now my new Fairy has a special ability, it can remove up to 5 monsters from your graveyard from play when it's summoned." Kristiann stated. "Hmm, I thought you would try something like that, so I planned this little trap just for this." Ice said as he revealed his trap.

"My Swirling Blizzard automatically destroys your effect monster right away. Nice try, but it didn't work." Ice replied matter-of-factly. "Well that's where you're wrong Ice, because this quick-play magic card stops your traps effect. Go Life-Giving Sunshine, destroy Ice's trap!" Kristiann exclaimed happily. "Again, did you think I didn't plan for that, well I did. My Ice Knight can destroy your magic card as long as I remove a water monster from play." Ice replied. "Normally, yes, but my Life-Giving Sunshine is not affected by the effects of monsters. So your master plan failed, Ice there you go." Kristiann said as her cards all took effect and Ice's trap card was gone and his graveyard was cleaned out. "No, this can't be!" Ice stated. "Oh but it is, Ice. Now, Shining Fairy, attack Ice's knight!" Kristiann commanded as her fairy ripped Ice's knight apart with a blaze of light, reducing his life points to 1075.

"But, this is impossible! Like it matters though, he, he, he." Ice chuckled somewhat insanely. "What's so funny Ice? I just destroyed your strongest monster." Kristiann asked. "Haven't I told you already? I always prepare for anything and everything. And there's another monster right here that can destroy you once and for all." Ice laughed as he held up a card in his hand.


	21. Chapter 21: The Blizzard Letting Up

Chapter 21- The Blizzard Letting Up

"You see, Kristiann, this monster can be special summoned from my hand if I have a Dominant Ice Knight monster in my graveyard." Ice explained as he held his precious card. "And since you've just conveniently destroyed my Dominant Ice Knight, I can summon my truly most powerful monster to the field. Go Froslass- the Ice Spirit!" Ice exclaimed as his frozen ghost emerged with 2900 attack points and 2100 defense points. "And my Ice Spirit gains an extra 200 attack points for every one of my water monsters that have been removed from play. That makes her attack points now 3300!" Ice exclaimed. "Now, Froslass, attack and destroy Kristiann's Shining Fairy!" Ice exclaimed as his Spirit blew a fierce dark, cold wind at Kristiann's monster, destroying it and reducing her life points to 775. "That will end my turn." Ice concluded.

"Alright, my move then." Kristiann said to herself, worried about her move. "I lay one card facedown and one monster in defense mode and end my turn." She concluded quickly. "Hmph, I knew you didn't have anything to stop my Ice Spirit. And now I'll end this duel once and for all." Ice said confidently as he drew a card. "And this is just the card I need. I activate Icicle Spear and equip it to my Froslass Ice Spirit. This increases her attack power by 500 and also lets her attack again if she destroys one of your normal monsters." Ice explained as his monster's attack power was raised to 3800. "Now, Froslass, attack Kristiann's facedown monster!" Ice commanded as his Spirit again attacked, destroying her monster. "Luckily you've attacked my Magician of Faith, and since it's an effect monster, you can't attack again. But not only that, my Magician lets me take a magic card from my graveyard and put it back into my hand. And I choose Monster Reborn." Kristiann explained. "Very well, I end my turn." Ice concluded.

"Alright, this is it. I'm all out of defenses, so this card has to be a good one." Kristiann said to herself as she was about to draw a card. But then she heard a familiar voice yelling from across the room. The arctic door had opened and closed and a young man with a grey jacket had stepped in to watch the rest of the duel. "Alright, I'm not too late!" James exclaimed as he burst into the room. "James, you're here!" Kristiann exclaimed, all too happy to see her boyfriend. "Of course, I wouldn't have missed this duel for the world." James replied happily. "Thank you, James. But I'm in a tight spot now. I need to draw just the right card now in order to just survive." Kristiann explained as James scanned the field. "Yea, it looks like it. But I know you, Kristiann and I know you'll draw just the card you need now in order to win." James replied confidently. "Thank you, James. Now here goes nothing!" Kristiann exclaimed as she drew a card.

"Well? What have we got? Of course nothing can save you now, but the attempt might amuse me." Ice said coldly. "Actually, Ice, that's where you're wrong. This card has never let me down before, and it's not about to start. But first I activate my facedown trap card: Return from the Different Dimension. This card lets me bring back as many monsters that have been removed from play as possible as long as I give up half of my life points. So I choose to bring back Nightmare Penguin, Freezing Beast, Primal Ice Beast, and D.D. Assailant!" Kristiann explained as her field was flooded with new monsters and her life points dropped to 388. "And now I sacrifice Freezing Beast and Nightmare Penguin in order to summon my ever-faithful Shining Arctic Queen in attack mode!" Kristiann exclaimed as her queen appeared with 2800 attack and 1500 defense. "And since two of your water monsters are back into your graveyard, your Froslass loses 400 attack points." Kristiann stated as Ice's Spirit was reduced to 3400. "Hmph, your Queen is still no match for my Spirit!" Ice stated defiantly. "That may be true now, but I can still activate one last magic card: Gift of the Martyr! First I have to sacrifice one monster on my side of the field, then I can increase another one of my monster's attack points by the attack points of the monster I just gave up. Essentially, I sacrifice Primal Ice Beast in order to boost Shining Arctic Queen's attack power by 2300!" Kristiann explained as her Queen's power was boosted to 5100.

"No wait, this is impossible!" Ice freaked. "Oh this is quite possible. Now it's time to show you why I'm the true queen of the Arctic. Go Shining Arctic Queen, attack Froslass and put an end to this duel once and for all!" Kristiann commanded as her Queen shot a ray of magic at Ice's Froslass Spirit, brining Ice's life points down to absolute zero. "No way, this can't be! I'm always one step ahead!" Ice whined as he sunk to the floor. "You did it!" James said as he rushed over and embraced Kristiann. "Thanks, I did my best." Kristiann replied smiling. They quickly kissed each other and then turned to Ice, who was rising to his feet. "Well whatever, it was a good duel. Smell you all later!" Ice said as he strode out of the room. "Hey, James, you did win your duel right?" Kristiann asked. "Of course I did! Fay didn't stand a chance!" James replied happily. "Alright! Then it's off to the tournament semifinals for the both of us!"


	22. Chapter 22: Stalling for Time

Chapter 22- Stalling for Time

"The Tournament Semifinals are about to begin!" Roland screamed from the Kaiba Dome. "Sixteen duelists have fought long and hard competing for the tournament crown, but now only four remain: the fashionably-dressed Zigfried Lloyd, the child prodigy Leon Wilson, the ever-chivalrous James Alvarez, and the magnificently beautiful Kristiann Baluta! This fearsome foursome is about to duke it out at two of our biggest attractions here in Kaiba Land." Roland continued as the scene shifted.

"Our first semifinal match will take place in Kaiba Land's Galaxy Theater, a state-of-the-art holographic imaging theater based on the endless cosmos. But which one of our duelists will blast off to glory, and which one will sink right back down to earth? Stay tuned to find out!" Roland announced as James and Zigfried walked towards each other, decks in hand. "Wow, we've come a long way since that night at the reception. Zigfried, may the best man win." James said kindly as he shuffled Zigfried's deck and handed it back to him. "That should be no problem for me." Zigfried replied as he also gave James his deck back. "Though this duel really means nothing to me. This vannabe is just like every other opponent in this tournament. But every duel brings me one step closer to Herr Kaiba." Zigfried thought to himself as he walked to the opposite side of the arena.

The room itself was simply a big, dark dome with images of planets and shooting stars surrounding them. James and Zigfried both activated their duel disks and set their life points to 4000. "Let's duel!" The both exclaimed as the duel began. "I believe I'll start off this duel." Zigfried said as he drew a card. He glanced over his hand and then played two facedown cards. "I'll lay two card facedown und end my turn." Zigfried stated. He then turned his head to the side and stared into a camera over there for a moment. "I hope you're vatching this duel Herr Kaiba. Because this is only a small taste of vhat you'll feel soon enough." Zigfried thought to himself.

"Alright it's my move then." James said as he drew a card. "And I'll start by activating my Reinforcement of the Army magic card. This lets me search my deck for one warrior monster and add it to my hand." James said as he chose a card and then reshuffled his deck. "Now I'll summon the monster I just drew in attack mode. Go Marauding Captain!" James called as his warrior emerged with 1200 attack and 400 defense. "But that's not all. My Marauding Captain has a special ability that allows me to summon another four star or lower monster right from my hand. And I choose to summon Obnoxious Celtic Guardian in attack mode!" James added as his Elvin warrior emerged with 1400 attack and 1200 defense. "Now with two warriors behind me your life points are forfeit. Marauding Captain, attack Zigfried's life points directly." James commanded as his captain raised its swords and prepared to strike.

"I'm afraid that von't vork, Herr James. I activate Votan's Judgment. This card lets me move one magic card from my hand und switch it vith the top card of my deck. Und it also automatically ends your battle phase." Zigfried explained as James' attack was negated and he moved his cards around just as he said. "Hmm, fine. In that case I lay one card facedown and end my turn." James concluded. "Very vell, my move." Zigfried said as he drew a card. "Und now I'll activate Graceful Charity. This card lets me draw three cards from my deck und then discard two." Zigfried explained as he drew and discarded his cards. "Then I activate Erda's Guidance. This card lets me exchange one card from my hand vith a trap card from my graveyard und then set the trap card facedown on the field." Zigfried explained as he moved some more cards around. "But that vill end my turn." Zigfried concluded again.

"What is this guy up to? He hasn't summoned a single monster this entire duel. I don't trust that." James thought to himself as he drew a card. "Alright, now I summon my Slate Warrior in attack mode." James said as his monster appeared on the field with 1900 attack and 400 defense. "Now, Marauding Captain, attack Zigfried's life points again!" James commanded, but Zigfried had other plans in mind. "I activate my trap card, Fricka's Mediation. All I have to do is remove one card from my graveyard from play und your battle phase automatically ends." Zigfried explained as he removed Wotan's Judgment from play and James' attack was negated. "I end my turn." James said frustratingly.

"It's my move once again." Zigfried said as he drew a card. "Und I play this card: Rose Petal Storm. This card destroys one of your facedown magic or trap cards und also destroys one of mine. However my trap card activates vhen it's about to be destroyed. My Apple of Enlightenment lets me draw one card vhen it's removed from the field." Zigfried explained as James' facedown card was destroyed Zigfried drew a card. "What gives, Zigfried?! You haven't done anything worth doing this entire duel! All you've been doing is rearranging cards around and stalling for time! Do something already!" James shouted in anger and frustration. "Be careful vhat you vish for, Herr James, because you just might get it. You vant me to do something vorthy, then here it is. I activate the most dazzling und also the most powerful magic card to date." Zigfried said ominously as he held up a card. "I activate Ride of the Valkyries! Prepare for your defeat, Herr James, this duel ends here!" Zigfried exclaimed as he raised his hands dramatically as his magic card took effect.


	23. Chapter 23: Valkyries’ Treasure

Chapter 23- Valkyries' Treasure

"Now it's time for this duel to really begin!" Zigfried exclaimed as a tornado of rose petals surrounded his side of the field. "Because my Ride of the Valkyries allows me to summon as many Valkyrie monsters from my hand as I possibly can. Und I have three!" Zigfried said as his tornado subsided and three lady warriors on horseback were on Zigfried's side of the field. "Now let's give a varm velcome to Valkyrie Zweite, Valkyrie Erste, und another Valkyrie Zweite!" Zigfried exclaimed as his monsters all raised their swords in a battle pose. Valkyrie Erste had 1600 attack and 1800 defense, and the two Valkyrie Zweites had both 1600 attack and defense. "Now my dazzling ladies have quite the special abilities, Herr James. You see, vhen Valkyrie Zweite is summoned to the field, she can automatically destroy one of your monster. Und since I have two, I can destroy two of your monsters." Zigfried explained as each of his two Valkyrie Zweites shot a beam of light at Slate Warrior and Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, destroying them both.

"Now go, Valkyrie Erste, attack Herr James' Marauding Captain now vith galloping gash!" Zigfried then commanded as his female warrior galloped towards James' monster and slashed in it half, destroying it and reducing James' life points to 3600. "Now Valkyrie Zweites attack Herr James' life points directly!" Zigfried again commanded as both of his warrior slashed James, reducing his life points now to 400. "Next I'll lay one card facedown und end my turn." Zigfried concluded as his Valkyries all disappeared. "Oh yes, und did I mention that my Ride of the Valkyries card has one little downside? At the end of my turn, all of the Valkyries that I summoned from it are returned to my deck." Zigfried explained.

"Well isn't that convenient?" James replied sarcastically as he drew a card. "Alright, first I'll play this magic card to replenish my hand a bit: Pot of Greed." James said as he drew two cards. "Now I have just what I need to regain control of this duel. I activate this magic card: Sidequesting. Not only does this card let me destroy one of your facedown cards, but it also increases my life points by 1000." James explained as Zigfried's facedown card was destroyed and James' life points rose to 1400. "Now since your Ride of the Valkyries card let you totally unprotected, then I can go straight for your life points. And considering the arena, what could be a more fitting monster than this one? Go Rocket Warrior, in attack mode!" James exclaimed as he summoned his rocket-shaped warrior with 1500 attack and 1300 defense. "Now, Rocket Warrior, attack Zigfried's life points directly!" James commanded as his warrior launched itself right at Zigfried, reducing his life points to 2500.

"But that's not all. Then I activate this little magic card known as Dungeon Complete. I can activate it if one of my monsters attacks your life points directly. After that, I can return that monster to my hand and exchange it for another monster of a different attribute and of a higher level. So I return Rocket Warrior to my hand and summon Judge Man to the field." James explained as his new warrior emerged with 2200 attack and 1500 defense. "Granted my new monster might not be able to attack this turn, but it should hold you off till next turn. I'll end my turn my laying this one card facedown." James concluded.

"Very vell, then it's my turn again." Zigfried said as he drew a card. "Now I activate the magic of Nibelung's Treasure. This card lets me draw five cards from my deck, but it also as another special ability." Zigfried explained as a large ring appeared on Judge Man's finger. "It also allows me to play Nibelung's Ring und equip it to one of your monsters." Zigfried explained further. "Well that's very generous of you, but I'm sure your ring comes with some kind of special ability, right?" James asked. "That's exactly right, but you'll have to vait to figure that one out. So for now I summon my Valkyrie Dritte in defense mode und end my turn." Zigfried concluded as his red-haired female warrior emerged with 1000 attack and 1600 defense.

"Alright, I guess I'm up then." James said as he was about to draw a card. "Aha, now the power of Nibelung's Ring activates! Instead of drawing one card, you draw two cards. However, if either one of them is a monster card, then it's automatically discarded." Zigfried explained as James drew his two cards, but was forced to discard one. "Alright, there's really nothing else I can do except summon my Rocket Warrior back to the field in attack mode." James said as his warrior reemerged with 1500 attack and 1300 defense.

"Wunderbar, now's it my move." Zigfried said as he drew a card. From the instant he saw the card, a smirk grew across his face. "Ah, now it's time to make this duel a vhole lot more interesting. Because I have three divine cards that will spell the end for you und remove you from this tournament." Zigfried said ominously. "Auf Wiedersehen, Herr James!"


	24. Chapter 24: Wrath of the Goddesses

Chapter 24- Wrath of the Goddesses

"These three cards vill be your undoing, Herr James. You see, these three goddesses rule over all of time und space." Zigfried began as a shooting star passed by in the Theater. "To prove their power, I activate Goddess Skuld's Oracle, Goddess Urd's Verdict, und Goddess Verdande's Guidance!" Zigfried exclaimed as his three beautiful goddesses appeared on the field. "Und all three of my dazzling divas have very special divine powers. Let's start with Goddess Skuld. She lets me look at the top three cards of your deck and replace them in any order." Zigfried explained as James held up the top three cards of his deck and Zigfried told him how to put them back. "Alright, I don't know what that's going to do for you." James commented. "Patience, Herr James. Now Goddess Verdande lets me guess vhat type of card is on top of your deck. If I'm right, then you have to set the card facedown on the field. Und I guess it's a monster." Zigfried explained further. "Well considering you put it there, I'd say that's not much of a miracle." James commented sarcastically as he placed the monster facedown on the field in defense mode.

"Und finally ve come to Goddess Urd. Her special ability lets me guess the name of the monster you have facedown on the field. If I guess right then that monster is removed from play. Und I guess that your facedown monster is Gearfried the Iron Knight. Und since I know I'm correct, your monster is now removed from the game." Zigfried explained as Gearfried appeared from the card and then floated up to the galaxy above them. "Ah, he is among the stars now. But don't vorry, there vill be plenty of more monsters joining him." Zigfried chuckled. "Oh and did I forget to mention one little thing? My Valkyrie Dritte gains an extra 100 attack points for every monster that is removed from play." Zigfried added as his Valkyrie's attack power rose to 1100. "Next I'll switch my Valkyrie Dritte to attack mode und activate this magic card: Valkyrie's Embrace. Now all I have to do is switch my Valkyrie back to defense mode und I can destroy one of your monsters." Zigfried played as Rocket Warrior was destroyed.

"Now I believe that's enough punishment for one turn, don't you think Herr James?" Zigfried concluded. "Yes, I think so." James replied as he drew two cards. "Remember, if either of those cards is a monster, they're automatically destroyed." Zigfried reminded. "I'm painfully aware of that." James replied angrily as he discarded one of the cards he drew. "I lay one card facedown and end my turn." James concluded frustratingly. "Very vell." Zigfried stated as he drew a card. "Aha, now I just drew my favorite Valkyrie, und I can even summon her to the field vith this magic card: Swan Maiden. This card lets me automatically summon one Valkyrie monster from my hand to the field. So say hello to my most dazzling varrior, Valkyrie Brunhilde!" Zigfried called as his long, blue haired female warrior emerged with 1800 attack and 2000 defense.

"Und here's something you should know: My Valkyrie Brunhilde gains 300 attack points for every varrior und dragon monster on both sides of the field, including herself." Zigfried explained as his warrior's attack power was raised to 2700. "Now I'll increase the attack capabilities of my Valkyrie even further by sacrificing my Valkyrie Dritte in order to summon my Fortune Chariot!" Zigfried explained as his Valkyrie disappeared and a golden chariot carted by two horses came flying down from the sky above them with 0 attack and defense points. "But that monster has zero attack and defense points. How is that going to help you at all?" James asked. "Vell you see, vhile my Fortune Chariot may not have attack und defense points, it has a very special ability: it can equip itself to any one of my Valkyrie monsters." Zigfried explained as Valkyrie Brunhilde's attack points were dropped to 2400 and it jumped from its horse into the chariot.

"And just what does that do?" James asked with a little fear in his voice. "Now that my Valkyrie Brunhilde is equipped with Fortune Chariot, it can attack your life points directly und all I have to do it cut her attack power in half for the battle phase." Zigfried explained. "But before I attack, I shall activate the power of my three goddesses." Zigfried called as he rearranged James' top three deck cards. "Now I predict once again that your top card is a monster." Zigfried predicted as James set the monster facedown in defense mode. "Now I predict that the monster is Command Knight. That removes it from play." Zigfried said as James' knight rose into the sky like Gearfried before it. "Now one last thing before I attack: I activate the magic card Nobleman of Extermination! This card automatically destroys your facedown magic or trap card und removes it from the game." Zigfried played as James' Exile to the Stratosphere trap was removed from play.

"Und now that you're totally defenseless, Valkyrie Brunhilde attack Herr James' life points directly vith Fortune Chariot strike!" Zigfried commanded as his Valkyrie's attack power dropped to 1200 and it charged James, slashing him and reducing his life points to 200. "Now I believe I'll end my turn." Zigfried concluded. "Alright, I have one chance left. Here goes nothing!" James said dramatically as he drew two cards. "Since neither of these cards is a monster, I don't have to discard anything. Which is highly convenient, now because I lay these two cards facedown and end my turn." James concluded simply.

"Very vell, then prepare for the end." Zigfried said as he drew a card. "Not so fast, because before you go any further, I activate my facedown magic card: Mystical Space Typhoon. Now that your Fortune Chariot has taken the form of an equip magic card, my Mystical Space Typhoon card can automatically destroy it." James explained as Zigfried's chariot disappeared. "Hmm, that's no problem, there are plenty of vays to crush you. And I'll find them by activating this magic card: Pot of Greed." Zigfried said as he drew two cards. "Und now it all ends here. First I invoke the power of my goddesses!" Zigfried called as he ran through the process and removed Cyber-Tech Alligator from play. "Now I'll activate my final magic und one that vill put an end to this duel once und for all." Zigfried said as he held up a magic card. I activate Rainbow Bridge Bifrost. This card increases the attack power of one of my Valkyrie monsters by 500 for every monster that has been removed from play." Zigfried said as his Valkyrie Brunhilde's attack power rose to 3900.

"Now, Valkyrie Brunhilde, attack Herr James' Judge Man und end this duel!" Zigfried commanded, but James had other plans. "Not so fast, I activate my facedown trap card: Reversal of Guardianship! Here's how it works: First I chose one monster card and one magic card from my deck. Then I shuffle my trap card in with those two cards and you have to guess which one is whichever card I want you to find. If you guess correctly, then you can attack. But if you guess wrong, then your battle phase is over." James explained as he shuffled the three cards together and placed them facedown on the field. "Now Zigfried, which of these three cards is a magic card?" James asked as a bead of sweat dripped down the side of his face; for he knew that this was his last chance. Zigfried looked at the three cards for a moment and then took his guess.

"I'd say that the middle card is your magic card." He answered. James looked horrified as he revealed that the middle card was indeed Synchronized Hearts, his favorite magic card. "Alright, I guess that's it then." James said sadly. "Of course it is! Now Valkyrie Brunhilde, complete you attack und end this duel! Auf Wiedersehen, Herr James!" Zigfried exclaimed as his warrior galloped up to Judge Man and with a mighty battle cry, slashed it in half, destroying it and reducing James' life points to zero. "Vell that's the vay it ends, Herr James. Vave to Haley's Comet on the vay out for me, vill you?" Zigfried said arrogantly as he smiled and walked away from the arena. As he walked away, he tossed a pink rose to James, who now knelt in defeat. James picked up the rose, smiled sadly, and also got up and walked away.


	25. Chapter 25: Back to Basics

Chapter 25- Back to Basics

"Now with the first semifinal match complete, we move to the Kaiba Land Ferris Wheel where Leon Wilson will face off against Kristiann Baluta!" Roland announced from the Kaiba Dome. Inside one of the extra-large carts of the Ferris wheel, Kristiann and Leon were shuffling each other's respective decks. "Hey, I'm sorry that James lost his match." Leon said consolingly to Kristiann. "That's ok, that just gives me even more motivation to win this duel here." Kristiann replied with a somewhat sad smile. "Now that's the spirit, let's go have a good time out here." Leon replied as he handed Kristiann's deck back. "Thanks Leon, now let's have a good, fair duel." Kristiann said as she handed him his deck back and they walked to opposite sides of the cart. They activated their duel disks, set their life points to 4000, and drew their opening hand. "Let's duel!" They both said at the same time and the duel officially began.

"I'll start off if you don't mind." Leon said as he drew a card. "And I'll begin this duel by summoning Little Red Riding Hood to the field in defense mode." Leon stated as the little girl appeared on the field with 800 attack and 1200 defense. "That'll do for now." Leon concluded. "Little Red Riding Hood? Wasn't that a fairy tale or something? Why would you play a card like that?" Kristiann asked. "Well you see, this is a little embarrassing to admit, but I absolutely love fairy tales. I read them all the time when I was a kid, but I guess I just never got out of that phase. I just love the cool characters and all the adventures they went on. Sometimes I even imagine myself in the stories. It's kinda silly I know, but I still love it." Leon explained. "No, it's fine, sometimes I feel like part of a story too, and I know James likes to imagine himself as a character in his favorite stories also." Kristiann admitted. "Well as long as I'm not the only one. But hey aren't we supposed to be dueling? It's your move." Leon regained attention.

"That's right, I'm up." Kristiann said as she drew a card. "And I'll start off by summoning my Different Dimension Warrior Lady in attack mode." Kristiann said as her female light warrior emerged on the field with 1500 attack and 1600 defense. "Now, Warrior Lady, attack and destroy Little Red Riding Hood!" Kristiann commanded as her warrior dashed forward and slashed the horrified Little Red Riding Hood, destroying it. "Wow, I feel kinda bad destroying a cute little monster like that one." Kristiann admitted. "Well if it makes you feel any better, my Little Red Riding Hood has a special ability: when it's destroyed I can automatically summon a four star monster from my deck. And I chose this one: Peter Pan!" Leon exclaimed as his green-garbed warrior emerged with 1700 attack and 1200 defense.

"Hunh, another fairy tale monster?" Kristiann asked. "Yep, I told you I really love fairy tales. In fact, my entire deck is based off of them. I don't think I have a single monster that's not from some kind of fairy tale." Leon laughed. "Well alright then, that's cute. Anyways, I lay one card facedown and end my turn." Kristiann concluded. "Alright, it's my move again then." Leon said as he drew a card. "And to boost my offensive I'll summon my Iron Hans in attack mode." Leon said as his little warrior emerged with 1200 attack and 800 defense. "But that's not all. When my Iron Hans is summoned to the field, I can then automatically summon my Iron Knight to the field right from my deck." Leon explained as his knight on horseback emerged with 700 attack and defense.

"Alright, now it's time to attack. Go Peter Pan attack Different Dimension Warrior Lady!" Leon said as his warrior's attack points rose to 2000 and it flew forward and destroyed Kristiann's warrior. "Hunh, why did your monster's attack points go up?" Kristiann asked as her life points dropped to 3500. "Well you see, Peter Pan has a special ability. When it does battle with another warrior type monster, it gains 300 attack points before doing damage." Leon explained. "Not bad, but my Warrior has a special ability too. When she's destroyed I can instead remove her from play and also the monster that destroyed her." Kristiann explained as Peter Pan was removed from the game. "Not bad yourself, but remember I still have two monsters that I can attack with. So go, Iron Hans and Iron Knight, attack Kristiann's life points directly!" Leon called as his warriors both attacked, reducing Kristiann's life points to 1600.

"Next, I'll finish my turn by laying this one card facedown." Leon concluded. "Not bad, Leon, your fairy tale monsters are strong." Kristiann commented. "Thanks, but remember there's plenty more where that came from. My deck of fairy tale creatures has never been beaten before, and I don't plan on it starting today." Leon laughed innocently, but with a tinge of confidence and the eagerness to win.


	26. Chapter 26: A Royal Ball

Chapter 26- A Royal Ball

"Alright time for me to regain control of this duel." Kristiann said as she drew a card. "And this monster will help. I summon Gemini Elf in attack mode." She said as he twins elves appeared with 1900 attack and 900 defense. "Now, Gemini Elf, attack Iron Knight with twin magic blast!" Kristiann commanded. "I beg to differ, Kristiann. I activate my trap card Attack Guidance Barrier. This card redirects your attack to my Iron Hans and increases his attack power by 600." Leon explained as the magic blast was redirected to Iron Hans, who now had an attack power of 1800. The blast still hit and Iron Hans was destroyed, reducing Leon's life points to 3900. "Why would you do that though?" Kristiann asked confusingly. "Well not only did that soften the blow to my life points, but when Iron Hans is in the graveyard my Iron Knight gains an extra 1000 attack points." Leon explained as his knight's attack points rose to 1700. "Alright, not bad, I'll lay one more card facedown and end my turn." Kristiann concluded.

"Alright, my turn again." Leon said as he drew a card. "And now it's time for me to summon one of my most favorite cards. I summon Cinderella in attack mode!" Leon exclaimed as his peasant-like dressed lady appeared on the field with 300 attack and 600 defense. "And of course where would she be without her fairy godmother?" Leon added as an old fairy circle around her and transformed her into a beautiful princess. "And also when Cinderella is summoned to the field I can automatically summon Pumpkin Carriage to the field in defense mode." Leon added as the old fairy godmother spun around another part of his field and a large pumpkin-shaped carriage appeared with 0 attack and 800 defense. "Then I can also play this magic card: Glass Slippers and equip them to Cinderella." Leon added as the shiny footwear appeared on his princess' feet.

"Now that my princess is all ready for her royal ball I can activate her special abilities. But first I think I'll activate this magic card: Transport Tornado. Now I can destroy both of your facedown cards, but I have to give up 500 life points for each one." Leon said as a tornado destroyed both of Kristiann's facedown cards and reduced Leon's life points to 2900. "Now that the path is clear, Cinderella actually can go to the ball. See, as long as Pumpkin Carriage is on my side of the field, Cinderella can attack your life points directly. So go, Cinderella attack Kristiann's life points now!" Leon commanded as his princess flipped off her glass slippers and shot them right at Kristiann, reducing her life points to 1300.

"Well that wasn't too bad." Kristiann stated. "Well I'm not done yet. See, if Cinderella successfully attacks your life points with her Glass Slippers, then one of your monsters gets their own pair of glass slippers!" Leon revealed as Kristiann's Gemini Elf got Glass Slippers. "Well that's cute, but I'm sure there's a catch." Kristiann commented. "You're exactly any of my opponent's monsters that have Glass Slippers equipped to them lose 1000 attack points and also can't attack." Leon explained as Gemini Elf's attack power dropped to 900. "And since your monster is now weaker, my Iron Knight can run right through her. So go, Iron Knight, attack Gemini Elf now with your power joust attack!" Leon exclaimed as his knight stabbed Gemini Elf, destroying it and bringing Kristiann's life points down to 500. "And now that your monster with glass slippers was destroyed, they return to Cinderella's feet and she gains an extra 1000 attack points." Leon explained as Cinderella's attack power rose to 1300.

"Alright, I think that's enough for this turn. It's your move then!" Leon concluded cheerfully. "Yes, it is my move and unless I do something quick, I'm done for." Kristiann thought to herself as she drew a card.


	27. Chapter 27: Happily Ever After

Chapter 27- Happily Ever After

"Alright, well this card will certainly help. I activate Graceful Charity, which lets me draw three cards as long as I discard two." Kristiann began her turn. "And now I have all that I need to at least set up a good defense. First off I activate the field magic card Ice Palace!" Kristiann exclaimed as a huge palace of ice appeared behind her. "As long as this card is in play, no player can do direct damage to an opponent's life points as long as they have a monster on the field. Now your Cinderella can't attack me if I have a monster on the field." Kristiann explained. "But you don't have a monster on the field." Leon pointed out. "That may be true for now, but I'm going to summon one right here. Go Mystical Elf in defense mode!" Kristiann called as her beautiful elf emerged with 800 attack and 2000 defense. "But I'm not done yet. Because now I activate this magic card: Tribute Doll. Now all I have to do is sacrifice my Mystical Elf and I can summon a seven star monster from my hand. And I choose to summon my Shining Arctic Queen in attack mode!" Kristiann called as her elf disappeared and her infamous Arctic Queen took its place with 2800 attack and 1500 defense.

"Now, Shining Arctic Queen attack and destroy Leon's Iron Knight!" Kristiann commanded as her Queen shot a blast of arctic magic that ripped right through Leon's knight, destroying it and reducing his life points to 1800. "Alright, Leon, it's your move." Kristiann ended her turn. "Alright, here goes nothing." Leon said as he drew a card. "First I'll activate the magic card Stray Lambs, which lets me summon two Lamb Tokens to the field in defense mode." Leon said as his cute little lambs appeared on the field with 0 attack and defense. "Then there's really not much I can do except lay this one card facedown and end my turn." Leon said as he set a facedown card.

"Alright then, it's time to finish this duel now." Kristiann said as she drew a card. "And to do so, I'll summon my Ancient Elf in attack mode!" Kristiann called as her magician emerged with 1450 attack and 1200 defense. "Now, Shining Arctic Queen, attack Cinderella and put a major dent in Leon's life points!" Kristiann commanded as her Queen launched a strong magic attack at Leon's monster. "Not so fast! I activate my trap card Negate Attack, which as the name implies, negates your attack and puts an end to your battle phase." Leon countered as a vortex appeared and swallowed up Kristiann's attack. "Alright, then I have no choice but to end my turn." Kristiann concluded.

"Well this is kind of sad, because you're right; it is time to finish this duel now." Leon said as he drew a card. "But first I have to activate this magic card: Gold Moon Coin." Leon said as he started walking towards Kristiann. "You see, after I activate this card, I have to give every card in my hand to you, but then I can draw that same amount of cards from my deck." Leon explained as he handed three cards to Kristiann. "Wow, these cards are pretty cute." Kristiann commented as he looked through the cards. "Thanks, but they're just not what I need right now to win." Leon replied as he walked back to his side of the arena. "Now with a little luck, and maybe a touch of magic, I'll draw just the right cards I need." Leon said to himself as he drew three cards.

"Aha! My deck has never let me down, and it's not about to start now." Leon exclaimed happily. "You mean…" Kristiann said worryingly. "Yep, I drew just the cards I needed, so watch out. First I sacrifice both of my Lamb Tokens in order to summon my powerful Hex Trude in attack mode!" Leon said as his beautiful witch woman emerged with 2600 attack and 1800 defense. "Then I activate this magic card: Spinning Wheel Spindle! This magic card destroys your Shining Arctic Queen by really turning her into a sleeping beauty. I'd say she'll be back in three turns, but this duel won't last that long." Leon said as a needle shot out of the card and pierces Shining Arctic Queen, putting her fast asleep right before she disappeared from the field. "Now, Hex Trude, attack Kristiann's Ancient Elf with dark witch attack!" Leon commanded as his spellcaster shot a blast of fire at Kristiann's elf, destroying it and reducing her life points down to 150.

"Well sorry Kristiann, it's been a really fun duel. But all good things must come to an end. So go, Cinderella, attack her life points directly and end this duel!" Leon exclaimed as his princess shot her glass slippers at Kristiann, brining her life points down to 0. "I lost!" Kristiann exclaimed as the holograms disappeared and Leon walked towards her. "It's ok, you played a good game." Leon said consolingly as he offered his hand. She shook it and smiled. "You're right, and I had a lot of fun so it was worth it." Kristiann admitted.

The Ferris wheel cart came to a stop at the ground floor and Kristiann and Leon stepped out, only to be greeted by James. "Hey baby! Hey Leon, sorry you lost your match." James said with a grin, much to Leon's surprise. "Honey, I didn't win my match, Leon did." Kristiann admitted. "Oh, sorry to hear that. I lost my match too." James also admitted sadly. "But hey that's all right guys, right? Because we all had a good time and that's what's important!" Leon reminded them. "You're right Leon, this tournament won't be one that I'll ever forget." James commented regained his cheerfulness. "That's right, all the good times we had, all the friends we met…" Kristiann said. "And even some not-so-friends." James added, thinking of Fay, Jessica, and Ice. "Exactly, we'll always remember this tournament." Kristiann concluded. "Alright, well now that that's all settled, I'm still going to be in the semifinals. I'm getting nervous just thinking about it!" Leon exclaimed. "Well don't worry about that Leon, we'll come cheer you on." James consoled. "Thanks guys. Well must be going. See you two later!" Leon bid farewell.

"You ok, honey?" James asked the sad-looking Kristiann. "Yea, I'm fine, I just kinda wanted to win, that's all." Kristiann answered. "Well that's ok, I'm sure there's some other new adventure on the horizon. And there are always some more card games to win. So let's go face the world the only way we know how!" James cheered. "Together." They both said in unison as they kissed each other and walked off towards the sunset Kaiba Land.


End file.
